Skip to main content
Log in

Grazing, defecation and excretion rates of copepods from inter-island channels of the Canadian Arctic archipelago

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Zooplankton (>800 μm) and water samples were collected at night at eleven stations in Parry Channel and adjacent waters, between 28 August and 14 September 1986. Chlorophyll concentrations varied between ≈17 μg l-1 at the surface at one station in Wellington Channel, Canada, and ≈1.5 μg l-1 throughout the top 30 m at one station in Byam Martin Channel, Canada. In tows from 0 to 50 m the zooplankton community at all stations was dominated by varying proportions of three species,Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis andMetridia longa. Levels of chlorophyllderived pigments inC. hyperboreus Stages V, IV and III were correlated with the concentration of chlorophyll at the chlorophyll maximum. Defecation rate constants, measured for the different stages where present, were variable but not correlated with ambient chlorophyll concentrations. Ammonia excretion was measured simultaneously for the communities in which defecation was being measured in the invividual species and stages. In these experiments the rate of ammonia accumulation decreased significantly over the period during which the copepods were actively defecating (usually the first 3 h) and then tended to a constant level (over the next 18 to 20 h). The time courses of ammonia accumulation could be described by a model comprised of the sum of a straight line and a saturating curve. For seven experiments the ammonia release given by the asymptote of the saturating component was correlated with the estimate of community defecation, obtained by summing the individual defecations, suggesting that the two processes were closely associated. Weight specific defecation and weight specific “defecation-associated” ammonia excretion were both correlated with ambient chlorophyll concentration. The ratio of initial to basal ammonia excretion rate varied between 2 and 20, so that “defecation-associated” ammonia release may be important in the estimation of in vivo nitrogen excretion or regeneration rates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Baars, M. A., Oosterhuis, S. S.: Diurnal feeding rhythms in North Sea copepods measured by gut fluorescence, digestive enzyme activity and grazing on labelled food. Neth. J. Sea Res.18, 97–119 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Båmstedt, U., Tande, K. S.: Respiration and excretion rates ofCalanus glacialis in arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Mar. Biol.87, 259–266

  • Conover, R. J., Cota, G. F.: Balance experiments with arctic zooplankton. In: Gray, J. S., Christiansen, M. E. (eds.) Marine biology of Polar regions and effects of stress on marine organisms. Proc. 18th Eur. mar. Biol. Symp. Wiley and Son, New York pp 17–236 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Corner, E. D. S., Cowey, C. B., Marshall, S. M.: On the nutrition and metabolism of zooplankton and nitrogen excretion byCalanus. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K.45, 429–442 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dagg, M. J., Walser, W. E. Jr.: Ingestion, gut passage, and egestion by the copepodNeoclanus plumchrus in the laboratory and in the subarctic Pacific Ocean. Limnol. Oceanogr.32, 178–188 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W. S., Scavia, D.: Kinetic examination of nitrogen release by zooplankters. Limnol. Oceanogr.26, 801–810 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, R. P., Malej, A.: Dial patterns of ammonium excretion and grazing rhythms inCalanus helgolandicus in surface stratified waters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.31, 75–85 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, E. J. H.: Estimation of Arctic copepod grazing rates in vivo and comparison with in vitro methods. Mar. Biol.92, 371–379 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, E. J. H., Harris, L. R.: Physiological and biochemical changes inCalanus hyperboreus from Jones Sound NWT, during the transition from summer to overwintering condition. Polar Biol.4, 99–106 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, E. J. H., Harris, L. R.: Feeding patterns in vivo for copepods from Bedford Basin and the effect of light and time of day, in early spring and during spring bloom conditions. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.40, 221–230 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, E. J. H., Harris, L. R., Abou Debs, C.: Effect of daylength and food concentration on in situ diurnal feeding rhythms in Arctic copepods. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.24, 281–288 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, E. J. H., Harris, L. R., Abou Debs, C.: Long term grazing experiments with Arctic copepods. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.100, 271–286 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Huntley, M.: Nonselective, nonsaturated feeding by three calanid copepod species in the Labrador Sea. Limnol. Oceanogr.26, 831–842 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiørboe, T., Møhlenberg, F., Nicolajsen, H.: Ingestion rate and gut clearance in the planktonic copepodCentropages hamatus (Lilljeborg) in relation to food concentration and temperature. Ophelia21, 181–194 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiørboe, T., Møhlenberg, F., Riisgård, H. U.: In situ feeding rates of planktonic copepods: a comparison of four methods. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.88, 67–81 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackas, D. L., Bohrer, R.: Fluorescence analysis of zooplankton gut contents and an investigation of diel feeding patterns. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.25, 77–85 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. A., Landry, M. R.: Ingestion-independent rates of ammonium excretion by the copepodCalanus pacificus. Mar. Biol.78, 265–270 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolajsen, H., Møhlenberg, F., Kiørboe, T.: Algal grazing by the planktonic copepodsCentropages hamatus andPseudocalanus sp. Diurnal and seasonal variation during the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Oresund. Ophelia22, 15–31 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Prinsenberg, S. J., Bennett, E. B.: Mixing and transports in Barrow Strait, the central part of the North-West Passage. Con. Shelf Res.7, 913–935 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scavia, D., Gardner, W. S.: Kinetics of nitrogen and phosphorus release in varying food supplies byDaphnia magna. Hydrobiologia96, 105–111 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Solórzano, L.: Determination of ammonia in natural waters by the phenol-hypocalorite method. Limnol. Oceanogr.14, 799–801 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, D.: Copepod grazing in simulated natural light and its relation to nocturnal feeding. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.30, 65–76 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Steel, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H.: Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, p. 180–181 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi, M., Ikeda, T.: Excretion of ammonia and inorganic phosphorus byEuphausia pacifica andMetridia pacifica at different concentrations of phytoplankton. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can.32, 2189–2199 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tande, K. S., Båmstedt, U.: Grazing rates of the copepodsCalanus glacialis andC. finmarchicus in arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Mar. Biol.87, 251–258 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, R., Conover, R. J.: Dynamics of gut pigment in the copopodTemora longicornis and the determination of in situ grazing rates. Limnol. Oceanogr.31, 867–877 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yentsch, C. S., Menzel, D. W.: A method for the determination of phytoplankton chlorophyll and phaeophytin by fluorescence. Deep-Sea Res.10, 221–231 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by R. W. Doyle, Halifax

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Head, E.J.H., Bedo, A. & Harris, L.R. Grazing, defecation and excretion rates of copepods from inter-island channels of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Mar. Biol. 99, 333–340 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02112125

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02112125

Keywords

Navigation