Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Vertical migration strategies with respect to advection and stratification in a semi-enclosed lough: a comparison of mero- and holozooplankton

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Patterns of zooplankton vertical movement are often difficult to interpret because of multiple, complex and confounding environmental factors. Behavioural adaptations to these environmental variables are compared within and between the holo- and meroplankton constituents of a community. We used a nested design to analyse patterns at several scales in time; (semi-diel, diel, spring-neap tidal cycle and season) and two in space; (depth and site). To reduce complexity and aid interpretation we studied a semi-isolated community in a semi-enclosed, seasonally stratified sea lough (Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Ireland). In this, the main environmental gradient was water flow rate (or water residence time) caused by tidal currents. Vertical profiles of abundance showed that populations of the most abundant species of holo- and meroplankton in the lough have considerable behavioural plasticity, enabling them to switch between sedentary and migratory behaviour and patterns of migration. Some species migrate vertically in synchrony with diel cycles and others in response to semi-diel tidal currents; a few do both, but the majority did neither. It is suggested that water column structure and hydrographic discontinuities caused by flow rate and pycnocline dynamics are responsible for the variable patterns of vertical migration and distribution.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2 a
Fig. 3
Fig. 4 a
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baden SP, Pihl L, Rosenberg R (1990) Effects of oxygen depletion on the ecology, blood physiology and fishery of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus. Mar Ecol Prog Ser :141–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Ballard L (1996) The ecology of gelatinous zooplankton in Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, Ireland. PhD thesis, University College Cork

  • Ballard L, Myers A (1997) Vertical distribution, morphology and diet of Proboscidactyla stellata (Cnidaria : Limnomedusae) in Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, Ireland. J Mar Biol Ass UK 77:999–1009

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassingdale R, Davenport E, Ebling FJ, Kitching JA, Sleigh MA, Sloane JF (1957) The ecology of the Lough Ine Rapids with special reference to water currents VI. Effects of the Rapids on the hydrography of the South Basin. J Ecol 45:879–900

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayly IAE (1986) Aspects of diel vertical migration in zooplankton, and its enigma variations. In: de Deckker P, Williams WD (eds) Limnology in Australia. Commonwealth Science Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, pp 349–368

  • Bell JJ (2001) The ecology of sponges at Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, Ireland. PhD thesis. University College Cork

  • Bell JJ, Barnes DKA (2002) The relationship between sedimentation, flow rates, depth and time at Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve. Ir Nat J .27:106–116

  • Cronin TW, Forward RB Jr (1979) Tidal vertical migration: an endogenous rhythm in estuarine crab larvae. Science 205:1020–1022

    Google Scholar 

  • Dagg MJ (1985) The effects of food limitation on diel migratory behaviour in marine zooplankton. Ergeb Limnol 21:247–256

    Google Scholar 

  • DeCoursey PJ, (1976) Vertical migration of larval Uca in a shallow estuary. Am Zool 16:244

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodson S (1990) Predicting diel vertical migration of zooplankton. Limnol Oceanogr 35:1195–1200

    Google Scholar 

  • Durbin EG, Gilman SL, Campbell RG, Durbin AG (1995) Abundance, biomass, vertical migration and estimated development rate of Calanus finmarchicus in the southern Gulf of Maine during late spring. Cont Shelf Res 15:571–591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiksen Ø, Giske J (1995) Vertical distribution and population dynamics of copepods by dynamic optimisation. ICES J Mar Sci 52:483–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forward RB (1988) Diel vertical migration: zooplankton photobiology and behaviour. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 26:361–393

    Google Scholar 

  • Fragapoulu N, Lykakis JJ (1990) Vertical distribution and nocturnal migration of zooplankton population to the development of the seasonal thermocline in the Patraikos Gulf. Mar Biol 104:381–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland ED, Zimmer CA, Lentz SJ (2002) Larval distributions in inner-shelf waters: the roles of wind-driven cross-shelf currents and diel vertical migrations. Limnol Oceanogr 47:803-817

    Google Scholar 

  • Gliwicz MZ (1986) A lunar cycle in zooplankton. Ecology 67:883–897

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowen RJ, McCullough G, Dickey-Collas M, Kleppel GS (1998) Copepod abundance in the western Irish Sea: relationship to physical regime, phytoplankton production and standing stock. J Plankton Res 20:325–330

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood A (2000) The reproductive ecology of Echinoderms at Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve. PhD thesis, University College Cork

  • Greenwood,A, O’Riordan RM, Barnes DKA (2001) Seasonality and vertical zonation of zooplankton in a semi-enclosed sea lough. J Mar Biol Ass UK 81:213–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris RP (1988) Interactions between diel vertical migration behaviour of marine zooplankton and the subsurface chlorophyll maximum. Bull Mar Sci 43:663–674

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill AE (1991) Vertical migration in tidal currents. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 75:39–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes JMC (1980) Some Crustacean records from Lough Ine, Co. Cork. Ir Biogeogr Soc Bull 4:33–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes JMC (1981) Further Crustacean records from Lough Ine, Co. Cork. Ir Biogeogr Soc Bull 5:19–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes JMC (1984) Crustacean records from Lough Ine, Co. Cork, part III. Ir Biogeogr Soc Bull 8:19–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson GE (1967) A treatise on limnology, vol 2. Wiley, New York

  • Johnson MP (1995) Models of phytoplankton and nutrient dynamics in Lough Hyne, south-west Ireland. PhD thesis, Trinity College Dublin

  • Johnson MP, Costello MJ (2002) Local and external components of the summertime plankton community in Lough Hyne, Ireland a stratified marine inlet. J Plankton Res 24:1305-1315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MP, Costello MJ, O’Donnell D (1995) The nutrient economy of a marine inlet: Lough Hyne, south west Ireland. Ophelia 41:137–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerer WJ, McKinnon AD (1987) Zooplankton in a marine bay. II. Vertical migration to maintain horizontal distributions. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 41:53–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitching JA, Ebling FJ, Gamble GC, Hoare R, McLeod AAQR, Norton TA (1976). The ecology of Lough Ine XIX: seasonal changes in the Western Trough. J Anim Ecol 45:731–758

    Google Scholar 

  • Lagadeuc Y, Boulé M, Dodson JJ (1997) Effect of vertical mixing on the vertical distribution of copepods in coastal waters. J Plankton Res 19:1183–1204

    Google Scholar 

  • Lampert W (1989) The adaptive significance of diel vertical migration of zooplankton. Funct Ecol 3:21–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Pennec M (1978) Génèse de la coquille larvaire et postlarvaire chez divers bivalves marins. Thèse, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France

  • Longhurst AR, Williams R (1979) Materials for plankton modelling: vertical distribution of Atlantic zooplankton in summer. J Plankton Res1:1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Maughan BC (2000) Ecology of encrusting epifauna in Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, Ireland. PhD thesis, University College Cork

  • Mileikovsky SA (1973) Speed of active movement of pelagic larvae of marine invertebrates as their ability to regulate their vertical positions. Mar Biol 23:303–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Minchin D (1992) Multiple species, mass spawning events in an Irish sea lough: the effects of temperature on spawning and recruitment of invertebrates. Invert Reprod Dev 22:229–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell G E, Newell RC (1963) Marine plankton: a practical guide. Hutchinson, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Neill WE (1992) Population variation in the ontogeny of predator induced vertical migration in copepods. Nature 356:54-57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olmi EJ (1994) Vertical migration of blue crab Callinectes sapidus megalopae: implications for transport in estuaries. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 113:39–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Osgood KE, Frost BW (1994) Ontogenetic diel vertical migration behaviours of the marine planktonic copepods Calanus pacificus and Metridia lucens. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 104:13–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearre S Jr (2003) Eat and run? The hunger / satiation hypothesis in vertical migration: history, evidence and consequences. Biol Rev 78:1–79

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Queiroga H (1998) Vertical migration and selective tidal stream transport in the megalopa of the crab Carcinus maenas. Hydrobiology 375/376:137–149

  • Roe HSJ, James PT, Thurston MH (1984) The diel migration and distributions within a mesopelagic community in the North East Atlantic. 6. Medusae, Ctenophores, Amphipods and Euphausiids. Prog Oceanogr 13:425–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russel FS (1953) The medusae of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge

  • Russel FS (1957) The eggs and planktonic stages of British marine fishes. Academic Press, London

  • Shanks AL, Largier J, Brubaker J. (2003) Observations on the distribution of meroplankton during an upwelling event. J Plankton Res 25:645–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DL, Johnson KB (1996) A guide to marine coastal plankton and marine invertebrate larvae, 2nd edn. Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa

  • Spicer JI, Strömberg JO (2002) Diel vertical migration and haemocyanin of krill Meganycthiphanes norvegica. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 238:153–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Spicer JI, Thomasson MA, Strömberg JO (1999) Possessing a poor anaerobic capacity does not prevent the diel vertical migration of Nordic krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica into hypoxic waters. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 185:181–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson RL, Power MJ (1988) Semi-diel vertical movements in Atlantic herring Clupea harengus larvae: a mechanism for larval retention? Mar Ecol Prog Ser 50:3–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunby S (1989) Factors affecting the vertical distribution of eggs and larvae. In: Lockwood SJ (ed) The ecology and management aspects of extensive mariculture. ICES Marine Science Symposium 192:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Thain VM, Jones J, Kitching JA (1981) Distribution of zooplankton in relation to the thermocline and oxycline in Lough Hyne, Co. Cork. Ir Nat J 20:292–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Todd CD, Laverack MS (1991) Coastal marine zooplankton: a practical manual for students. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay MJ, Sinclair M (1990) Sea scallop larvae Placopecten magellanicus on Georges Bank: vertical distribution in relation to water column stratification and food. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 61:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser AW, Saito H, Saiz E, Kiørbe T (2001) Observations of copepod feeding and vertical distribution under natural turbulent conditions in the North Sea. Mar Biol 138:1011–1019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Douglas Watson, Ian Davidson, Christina Simkanin and Emma Verling for field assistance, and Allen Whittaker and Bob McNamara for technical help. We would also like to thank Simon Harrison and Guy Woodward for statistical advice, Declan O’Donnell for Lough Hyne permits, John Bohane for his continuing support of the Lough Hyne Research Group and the valuable comments of two anonymous referees. Funding was provided by an Irish Higher Education Authority studentship and the Crawford Hayes fund. The experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which the experiments were performed.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Plant Science and Environmental Research Institute, National University of Ireland Cork, Lee Maltings, Prospect Row, Cork, Ireland

    K. A. Rawlinson & J. Davenport

  2. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    D. K. A. Barnes

Authors
  1. K. A. Rawlinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Davenport
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. K. A. Barnes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. A. Rawlinson.

Additional information

Communicated by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rawlinson, K.A., Davenport, J. & Barnes, D.K.A. Vertical migration strategies with respect to advection and stratification in a semi-enclosed lough: a comparison of mero- and holozooplankton. Marine Biology 144, 935–946 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1261-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1261-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation