Trophic role of gelatinous zooplankton in the Arctic marine food web. In: POLAR REGIONS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIETY, 28TH INTERNATIONAL POLAR CONFERENCE, POTSDAM, 01 – 05 MAY 2022.
Gelatinous zooplankton (GZP) comprising ctenophores, cnidarians and tunicates, gained more interest in recent years. During favorable conditions GZP is known to rapidly increase in biomass and several dominant species are able to exploit the zooplankton standing stock. It is assumed that GZP will increase in biomass with the ongoing warming and Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean. Hence, it is crucial to gain insights into the role of gelatinous zooplankton in the current and future Arctic marine food web . This study targets both the benthic and pelagic components of the Arctic marine food web . First, we aim to determine the role of so-called “jellyfalls”, or jelly carcasses on the seafloor, as a food source for the benthic community. To do so, we investigate the stomach content of benthic scavenging amphipods in Kongsfjorden sampled during Polar night with DNA metabarcoding. By doing so,. Second, we look at the role of jellyfish as predators in the pelagic system. We focus on a widely distributed boreal-Arctic hydrozoan species, Aglantha digitale, which is also assumed to be a climate-change winner in an “Atlantified” Arctic. Its feeding ecology is scarcely studied, in particular in the Arctic region? This jellyfish is believed to feed on a wide range of zooplankton including copepods. Due to its high abundances in the Arctic regions, both in summer and in winter, it is crucial to investigate spatio-temporal patterns in its diet. Hence, we use DNA metabarcoding of Aglantha’s stomach content to reveal its prey composition in different seasons and regions in order to better predict its future role in an ice-free and Atlantified Arctic.
AWI Organizations > Biosciences > (deprecated) Functional Ecology
PS > 126/2