Skip to main content

IMIS

A new integrated search interface will become available in the next phase of marineinfo.org.
For the time being, please use IMIS to search available data

 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

Latitudinal gradient of copepod functional diversity in the South Atlantic Ocean
Becker, E.C.; Mazzocchi, M.G.; de Macedo-Soares, L.C.P.; Costa Brandão, M.; Santarosa Freire, A. (2021). Latitudinal gradient of copepod functional diversity in the South Atlantic Ocean. Prog. Oceanogr. 199: 102710. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102710
In: Progress in Oceanography. Pergamon: Oxford,New York,. ISSN 0079-6611; e-ISSN 1873-4472, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors | Dataset 

Keywords
    Aquatic communities > Plankton > Zooplankton
    Biodiversity
    Geography > Biogeography
    Copepoda [WoRMS]
Author keywords
    Copepods; Functional traits; Functional groups; Environmental gradients

Authors  Top | Dataset 
  • Becker, E.C., more
  • Mazzocchi, M.G., more
  • de Macedo-Soares, L.C.P., more
  • Costa Brandão, M., more
  • Santarosa Freire, A., more

Abstract
    There is a growing consensus for assessing the multifaceted marine biodiversity by analyzing morphological taxonomy and biological traits to link the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships (BEF) to environmental variability. We applied taxonomic and functional diversity indices to relate copepod biodiversity with ecosystem functioning along different biogeographic zones from the Southwestern Atlantic to the Southern Ocean. To assess the link between functional traits and environmental gradients, we clustered 94 species into functional groups based on the combination of five functional traits. Taxonomic and functional diversity showed a linear decreasing trend along the latitudinal gradient. Species richness peaked at the subtropical latitude (∼30°S), while the functional richness was similar from the tropical up to the temperate region (∼45°S), which hosted on average 70% of the total pool of species, and dropped to only 16% in polar waters. We found that small- and medium-bodied broadcasting, large cruising carnivorous and detritivorous copepods contributed mostly to the larger functional space in tropical and subtropical zones. In turn, dominant copepod species with contrasting traits enhanced the functional divergence and decreased functional evenness poleward. Our results indicate that distinct copepod functional groups with specific environmental preferences are influenced by ecological mechanisms that promote functional richness through complementary resource use and niche partitioning. These findings highlight the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning, which might contribute to ecosystem stability and resilience along environmental gradients.

Dataset
  • Becker, E.C.; Mazzocchi, M.G.; de Macedo-Soares, L.C.P.; Brandão, M.C.; Freire, A.S.; (2021): Latitudinal gradient of copepod functional diversity in the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Data Archive., more

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors | Dataset