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Salps in the Lazarev Sea, Southern Ocean: I. Feeding dynamics

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Abstract

Feeding dynamics of the Antarctic salps Ihlea racovitzai and Salpa thompsoni were studied in the Lazarev Sea in fall 2004, summer 2005–2006 and winter 2006. Pigment concentrations in the guts of both species were positively correlated with ambient surface chlorophyll a (chl a). No evidence was found for salp clogging even at dense surface concentrations of up to 7 μg chl a L−1. However, gut pigment concentrations had a lower range than ambient pigment concentrations, suggesting that salps increased retention times of ingested material in low-food environments. For medium-sized I. racovitzai and S. thompsoni, estimated individual daily rations reached 7–10 and >100% of body carbon in winter and summer, respectively. Daily respiratory needs of I. racovitzai and S. thompsoni accounted for 28 and 22% of daily carbon assimilation based on pigment ingestion rates in winter, and for 2 and 1% in summer, respectively. The grazing impact of the salp populations on the phytoplankton standing stock was negligible during all seasons due to generally low salp densities. Fatty acid trophic biomarkers in the salps suggest high year-round contributions of flagellates and modest contributions of diatoms to the salp’s diet. These markers showed low seasonal variability for I. racovitzai. The more pronounced seasonality of trophic markers in S. thompsoni were likely related to their generally deeper residence depth in winter linked to a seasonal alternation of sexual and asexual generations.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the captains and crew of RV Polarstern for enabling us to complete our sampling programme, and K. Klinck, G. Schmidt, M. Brenner, L. Gurney, J. Kitchener, L. Würzberg, M. Vortkamp and M. Haraldsson for invaluable assistance in sample collection. We also thank T. Brey for assistance in statistical analyses. Constructive comments on the manuscript were provided by A. Atkinson and two anonymous referees. The surveys were part of the Lazarev Sea Krill Study (LAKRIS) Project, which was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Science (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF Forschungsvorhaben, grant number 03F0406A/B). This study was financially supported by the German National Science Foundation (DFG, grant number BA-1508/5-1). An AWI Research stay of E.A.P. was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

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  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Lena von Harbou, Corinna D. Dubischar & Ulrich V. Bathmann

  2. Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, 6339 Stores Road, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Evgeny A. Pakhomov & Brian P. V. Hunt

  3. Marine Zoology, University of Bremen, P.O. Box 330440, 28334, Bremen, Germany

    Wilhelm Hagen

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  1. Lena von Harbou
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Correspondence to Lena von Harbou.

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Communicated by A. Atkinson.

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von Harbou, L., Dubischar, C.D., Pakhomov, E.A. et al. Salps in the Lazarev Sea, Southern Ocean: I. Feeding dynamics. Mar Biol 158, 2009–2026 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1709-4

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