Distribution of plankton lipids and their role in the biological transformation of Antarctic primary production
In: Journal of Marine Systems. Elsevier: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; Amsterdam. ISSN 0924-7963; e-ISSN 1879-1573, more Also appears in:Le Fèvre, J.; Tréguer, P. (Ed.) (1998). Carbon Fluxes and Dynamic Processes in the Southern Ocean: Present and Past. Selected papers from the International JGOFS Symposium, Brest, France, 28-31 August 1995. Journal of Marine Systems, 17(1-4). Elsevier: Amsterdam. 1-619 pp., more |  |
| Keywords | Acids > Organic compounds > Organic acids > Fatty acids > Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Zooplankton
Behaviour > Feeding behaviour > Grazing
Biological production > Primary production
Chemical compounds > Organic compounds > Lipids
Composition > Biochemical composition
Cycles > Chemical cycles > Geochemical cycle > Biogeochemical cycle
Fauna > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic animals > Shellfish > Marine organisms > Marine crustaceans
Food webs
Nutrition > Animal nutrition
Organic matter > Carbon > Organic carbon
Particulate flux
Particulates > Suspended particulate matter
Population characteristics > Population structure
Population characteristics > Population structure > Size distribution
Calanus propinquus Brady, 1883 [WoRMS]; Euphausia superba Dana, 1850 [WoRMS]; Themisto gaudichaudi Guérin, 1825 [WoRMS]; Thysanoessa macrura G.O. Sars, 1883 [WoRMS]
PSE, Antarctic Ocean [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top | - Mayzaud, P., more
- Errhif, A.
- Bedo, A.
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| Abstract | Production and transfer of lipid through the Antarctic food web is reviewed for the Indian Ocean sector. The slow settling fine particles showed a marked inter-annual variability in biochemical composition with an increase in lipid content as % organic carbon. Comparison of the fatty acid spectra of different size categories of organic particles indicated that fine particles are dominated by saturated, monoenoic and branched acids, while larger material (50–100 µm, 200–500 µm net collected fractions) displayed a signature dominated by polyunsaturated acids. Zooplankton taxa displayed different strategies of lipid accumulation. Lipid content was highest in Thysanoessa macrura females and copepodite stages of Calanus propinquus. Relatively low levels were recorded for juveniles and male stages of euphausiids. Reserve lipids varied with species: C. propinquus showed equal content of triglycerides and wax esters, T. macrura showed a dominance of wax esters and Euphausia superba and Themisto gaudichaudii accumulated only triglycerides. Computed as carbon equivalent and integrated over 200 m, lipids in slow settling particles represented 22.6% of annual primary production. Similar computation with mesozooplankton and E. superba data on biomass and population structure from several summer cruises indicated values of carbon accumulation as lipid reserves and egg production of 4.2 and 0.1% of annual primary production for copepods and 4.4 and 3.8% for E. superba. When all trophic levels are considered, the overall mean exceeded 30% of annual primary production. |
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