Comparative oceanic ecology of the plankton communities of the subarctic Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Parsons, T.R.; Lalli, C.M. (1988). Comparative oceanic ecology of the plankton communities of the subarctic Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in: Barnes, H. et al. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 26. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 26: pp. 317-359 In: Barnes, H. et al. (1988). Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 26. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 26. Aberdeen University Press: Aberdeen. ISBN 0-08-036397-0; e-ISBN 0-203-02079-0. 615 pp., more In: Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. Aberdeen University Press/Allen & Unwin: London. ISSN 0078-3218; e-ISSN 2154-9125, more |  |
| Keywords | Composition > Community composition
Ecology
Ecology > Planktonology
IN, Subarctic Front; PN, Arctic [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract | The seasonal cycles and production processes of plankton in the subarctic North Pacific and North Atlantic are compared. The seasonal cycle in the North Atlantic is limited by the depth of mixing in the spring and by nitrate limitation in the late summer. In contrast, the seasonal cycle of primary productivity in the North Pacific is limited by low temperature and grazing by micro- and macrozooplankton in the spring and summer, and possibly by an unidentified nutrient during July and August. The strategy for zooplankton survival in the North Pacific leads to dominance by large sized copepods having a single generation per year. In the North Atlantic, the copepod population is dominated by smaller copepods having several generations per year. In spite of these differences in ecological structure, the two areas appear to have similar annual productions of phytoplankton and macrozooplankton. Planktivorous predators appear to be generally similar in both oceans. The close coupling of primary and secondary production in the North Pacific may, however, lead to greater production of pelagic fishes while, in the North Atlantic, a greater production of phytodetritus may favour a larger proportion of benthic fish. |
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