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Inter- and intra-specific diurnal habitat selection of zooplankton during the spring bloom observed by Video Plankton Recorder

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Abstract

Diel vertical migration (DVM) is a common behavior adopted by zooplankton species. DVM is a prominent adaptation for avoiding visual predation during daylight hours and still being able to feed on surface phytoplankton blooms during night. Here, we report on a DVM study using a Video Plankton Recorder (VPR), a tool that allows mapping of vertical zooplankton distributions with a far greater spatial resolution than conventional zooplankton nets. The study took place over a full day–night cycle in Disko Bay, Greenland, during the peak of the phytoplankton spring bloom. The sampling revealed a large abundance of copepods performing DVM (up during night and down during day). Migration behavior was expressed differently among the abundant groups with either a strong DVM (euphausiids), an absence of DVM (i.e., permanently deep; ostracods) or a marked DVM, driven by strong surface avoidance during the day and more variable depth preferences at night (Calanus spp.). The precise individual depth position provided by the VPR allowed us to conclude that the escape from surface waters during daytime reduces feeding opportunities but also lowers the risk of predation (by reducing the light exposure) and thereby is likely to influence both state (hunger, weight and stage) and survival. The results suggest that the copepods select day and night time habitats with similar light levels (~10−9 μmol photon s−1 m−2). Furthermore, Calanus spp. displayed state-dependent behavior, with DVM most apparent for smaller individuals, and a deeper residence depth for the larger individuals.

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Acknowledgments

The data have been collected during the PhD course sponsored by Nordforsk “Fate of the Arctic spring bloom” between April 25 to May 7, 2012, at the Arctic Station, Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland. A. Gislason and Ø. Varpe wish to thank Torkel G. Nielsen for the opportunity to teach during the course and to run a DVM project with one of the student groups, and we all thank him for organizing the course and giving us the opportunity to do this interesting study. We wish to thank the Arctic Station and the Geographical and Geological Institute from Copenhagen University for sharing their solar irradiance data collected at the Arctic station. J. Sainmont and Ø. Varpe also thank Mark Ohman for interesting discussions around an earlier draft of this work and André W. Visser for his support and advice. We thank Mark Payne for statistical advice and Dag L. Aksnes for valuable comments on a previous version of this manuscript. Ø. Varpe was supported by The Research Council of Norway through project CircA (214271/F20). This work was supported by the Greenland Climate Research Centre and the Centre for Ocean Life, a VKR center of excellence funded by the Villum foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kavalergaarden 6, 2920, Charlottenlund, Denmark

    Julie Sainmont & Jan Heuschele

  2. Marine Research Institute, Skulagata 4, P.O. Box 1390, 121, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Astthor Gislason

  3. Pelagic Ecology Research Group, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, KY16 8LB, UK

    Clare N. Webster

  4. Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, 10900, Hanko, Finland

    Clare N. Webster

  5. Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius V 21A, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Peter Sylvander

  6. Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Miao Wang

  7. Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Øystein Varpe

  8. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Øystein Varpe

  9. University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), PB 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway

    Øystein Varpe

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  1. Julie Sainmont
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  2. Astthor Gislason
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  7. Øystein Varpe
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Correspondence to Øystein Varpe.

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Communicated by M. A. Peck.

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Sainmont, J., Gislason, A., Heuschele, J. et al. Inter- and intra-specific diurnal habitat selection of zooplankton during the spring bloom observed by Video Plankton Recorder. Mar Biol 161, 1931–1941 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2475-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2475-x

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