Investigating the ecology and biogeochemistry of the twilight zone, one of the least studied ecosystems on Earth

海洋中层区（水面以下约50-1000米），通常被称为“黄昏区”，仍然是地球上最不了解的生态系统之一。它是各种动物的栖息地;其中一些被认为以下沉的碎屑颗粒为食，而另一些则被认为迁移到表面沃茨以浮游植物为食。这些营养相互作用影响海洋内部碳的储存，从而有助于全球气候调节。然而，目前缺乏关于中层浮游动物的生态和生理的信息，这阻碍了我们在全球海洋地球化学模型中代表其活动的能力，包括IPCC用于评估未来气候的模型。本项目将调查中层浮游动物的分布和活动如何影响下沉有机物的命运。将结合实验室分析和尺寸谱理论，研究浮游动物营养生态学和生理学随深度增加的变化。对中层食物网中谁在吃什么的进一步了解将用于研究这一重要生态系统中能量和有机物质循环的潜在途径。这将有助于提高浮游动物在海洋地球化学模型中的代表性。

The mesopelagic zone of the ocean (~50-1000 m beneath the surface), often referred to as the 'twilight zone', remains one of the most poorly understood ecosystems on Earth. It hosts a diverse community of animals; some of these are presumed to feed on sinking particles of detritus, whereas others are thought to migrate into surface waters to feed on phytoplankton. These trophic interactions influence the storage of carbon in the ocean's interior, and hence contribute to global climate regulation. However, the current paucity of information on the ecology and physiology of mesopelagic zooplankton hinders our ability to represent their activities in global biogeochemical models, including those used by the IPCC to assess future climate. This project will investigate how the distribution and activities of mesopelagic zooplankton influence the fate of sinking organic matter. Changes in the trophic ecology and physiology of zooplankton with increasing depth will be examined using a combination of laboratory analyses and size-spectrum theory. Increased understanding of who is eating what in the mesopelagic food web will be used to examine the potential routes through which energy and organic matter cycle within this important ecosystem. This will help improve the representation of zooplankton in biogeochemical models.