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

海洋的中层海洋带(水面以下约50-1000米)，通常被称为“黄昏带”，仍然是地球上最鲜为人知的生态系统之一。它拥有一个多样化的动物群落；其中一些被认为以下沉的碎屑颗粒为食，而另一些被认为迁移到表面水域以浮游植物为食。这些营养相互作用影响了海洋内部碳的储存，从而有助于全球气候调节。然而，目前关于中上层浮游动物生态学和生理学的信息匮乏，阻碍了我们在全球生物地球化学模型中表示它们的活动的能力，包括IPCC用来评估未来气候的模型。该项目将调查中上层浮游动物的分布和活动如何影响下沉有机物的命运。我们将结合实验室分析和尺寸谱理论来研究浮游动物的营养生态和生理学随深度增加的变化。增加对谁在中层海洋食物网中吃什么的了解将被用来研究能量和有机物质在这一重要生态系统中循环的潜在途径。这将有助于改善浮游动物在生物地球化学模型中的表现。

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.