Abstract
The diel vertical distributions of two small copepods, Oithona similis and Oncaea curvata, were investigated at 4-h intervals over a 24-h period under fast ice near Syowa Station during continuous daylight conditions in the Antarctic mid-summer, December 1993. Oithona similis and O. curvata exhibited small-scale diel vertical migrations during the study period, in a way opposite to what is expected, i.e., remaining mostly in the upper layer during the day and moving into deeper layers at night. The nighttime descent of both species coincided with the time of disappearance of a high algal concentration at the ice–water interface during the day and an increase of the algal concentration in the mid-water layer at night. This suggests the migration behavior of the copepods was responsible for the change of food availability. The daily grazing impact of these copepods was estimated to remove one-third of the algae daily released from ice during mid-summer at Syowa Station.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Prof. N. Satoh (National Institute of Polar Research) and other members of the 34th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, especially Mr. R. Asaka, for their kind assistance with the field work. We thank Dr. J. Raymond (University of Nevada) for improving our English. Thanks are also extended to Dr. H.-U. Dahms and K. Swadling and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments. This study was partially supported by Grant-in-Aid (no. 17510007) from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
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Tanimura, A., Hattori, H., Miyamoto, Y. et al. Diel changes in vertical distribution of Oithona similis (Cyclopoida) and Oncaea curvata (Poecilostomatoida) under sea ice in mid-summer near Syowa Station, Antarctica. Polar Biol 31, 561–567 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0388-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0388-6