Publication Date:
2024-03-09
Description:
A combined stable isotope and fatty acid trophic biomarker approach was adopted for key zooplankton taxa and higher trophic positions of the northern Humboldt Current System to elucidate the pelagic food-web structure and to better understand trophic interactions. Samples covered an extensive spatial range from 8.5°S to 16°S and a vertical range down to 1,000 m depth. Immediately after each haul, specimens were sorted alive in the lab and apparently live and healthy individuals were stored in vials and deep-frozen at -80°C until further lipid and stable isotope analyses. The comprehensive data set covered over 20 zooplankton taxa and indicated that three biomass-rich crustacean species usually dominated the zooplankton community, i.e., the copepods Calanus chilensis at the surface and Eucalanus inermis in the pronounced oxygen minimum zone and the krill Euphausia mucronata, resulting in an overall low number of major trophic pathways toward anchovies. In addition, the semi-pelagic squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon appears to play a key role in the benthic-pelagic coupling. By partly feeding on benthic resources and by diel vertical migration, P. monodon provides a unique pathway for returning carbon and energy from the sea floor to the epipelagic layer, increasing the food supply for pelagic fish.
Keywords:
Coastal Upwelling System in a Changing Ocean; CUSCO
Type:
Dataset
Format:
application/zip, 2 datasets
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