Heidelberg Karla B, O'Neil Keri L, Bythell John C, Sebens Kenneth P
Department of Biological Sciences and Wrigley Institute of Marine Science , University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90089 , USA.
J Plankton Res. 2010 Jan;32(1):75-91. doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbp101.
Zooplankton play an important role in the trophic dynamics of coral reef ecosystems. Detailed vertical and temporal distribution and biomass of zooplankton were evaluated at four heights off the bottom and at six times throughout the diel cycle over a coral reef in the Florida Keys (USA). Zooplankton abundance averaged 4396 +/- 1949 SD individuals m(-3), but temporal and spatial distributions varied for individual zooplankton taxa by time of day and by height off the bottom. Copepods comprised 93-96% of the abundance in the samples. Taxon-based zooplankton CHN values paired with abundance data were used to estimate biomass. Average daily biomass ranged from 3.1 to 21.4 mg C m(-3) and differed by both height off the bottom and by time of day. While copepods were the numerically dominant organisms, their contribution to biomass was only 35% of the total zooplankton biomass. Our findings provide important support for the new emerging paradigm of how zooplankton are distributed over reefs.
浮游动物在珊瑚礁生态系统的营养动态中起着重要作用。在美国佛罗里达群岛的一个珊瑚礁上，对浮游动物在距海底四个高度以及整个昼夜周期的六个时间点的详细垂直和时间分布及生物量进行了评估。浮游动物丰度平均为4396±1949标准差个/立方米，但不同浮游动物类群的时间和空间分布因一天中的时间和距海底的高度而异。样本中桡足类占丰度的93 - 96%。基于分类群的浮游动物碳氢氮值与丰度数据相结合，用于估算生物量。日均生物量范围为3.1至21.4毫克碳/立方米，且因距海底的高度和一天中的时间而有所不同。虽然桡足类在数量上占主导地位，但它们对生物量的贡献仅占浮游动物总生物量的35%。我们的研究结果为浮游动物在珊瑚礁上分布的新出现范式提供了重要支持。
