GLOBEC 2000: Responses of the Neocalanus spp. - Microplankton Community to Physical Forcing in the Coastal Gulf of Alaska

研究人员将检查构建微型浮游生物群落的过程，并将它们与新钙藻(Neocalanus spp.)的种群联系起来，新钙藻是阿拉斯加湾沿岸主要的颗粒食草型桡足类动物。阿拉克萨湾沿岸春季和夏季中浮游动物的总生物量主要由三种新藻类组成。Neocalanus能够同时捕食浮游植物和微型浮游动物，尽管决定这种食物分配的因素还不是很清楚。此外，这些桡足类已被证明可以改变个体的身体大小、种群生物量和生命周期时间，以应对海洋条件的变化。最后，新鲑鱼的大小和数量使其成为粉红鲑鱼鱼苗和其他沿海鱼类的重要潜在猎物。因此，微型浮游生物-新钙藻类食物网是将环境变化转化为更高营养级反应的潜在场所。将进行的具体测量包括：微型浮游生物的丰度和组成、微型浮游动物食草率和新卡兰氏藻的比率。捕食微型浮游动物和浮游植物。

The investigators will examine processes structuring microplankton communities and linking them with populations of Neocalanus spp., the dominant particle-grazing copepods in the coastal Gulf of Alaska. Collectively, three species of Neocalanus contribute substantially to total spring and summer mesozooplankton biomass in the coastal Gulf of Alaksa. Neocalanus are capable of consuming both phytoplankton and microzooplankton, though factors dictating this diet partitioning are not well understood. Further, these copepods have been shown to alter individual body size, population biomass, and life cycle timing in response to variations in ocean conditions. Finally, the size and abundance of Neocalanus make them an important potential prey for pink salmon fry and other coastal fish species. Thus, the microplankton - Neocalanus food web is a potential locus for the translation of environmental variation into higher trophic level responses. Specific measurements to be made include: microplankton abundance and composition, rates of microzooplankton herbivory, and rates of Neocalanus spp. grazing on microzooplankton and phytoplankton.