Carbon biomass, production rates and export flux of copepods fecal pellets in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary

Shujin GUO; Xiaoxia SUN

doi:10.1007/s00343-018-7057-1

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Carbon biomass, production rates and export flux of copepods fecal pellets in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary

Updated：2023-05-19

- Carbon biomass, production rates and export flux of copepods fecal pellets in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary
- Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 36, Issue 4, Pages: 1244-1254(2018)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
  2.Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
  3.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Author bio：
  
  SUN Xiaoxia, xsun@qdio.ac.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-018-7057-1
  CLC：
- Received：27 February 2017，
  
  Accepted：25 April 2017，
  
  Online First：07 July 2017，
  
  Published：2018-07
- Accepted：
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Shujin GUO, Xiaoxia SUN. Carbon biomass, production rates and export flux of copepods fecal pellets in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary[J]. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2018, 36(4): 1244-1254.
DOI：

Shujin GUO, Xiaoxia SUN. Carbon biomass, production rates and export flux of copepods fecal pellets in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary[J]. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2018, 36(4): 1244-1254. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-018-7057-1.

摘要

Abstract

Copepod fecal pellets are ubiquitous throughout the oceans. Their production and export can represent a highly efficient pathway of carbon export. However

the role these fecal pellets play in carbon export in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary is not well known. Two cruises were carried out in the Changjiang estuary in the spring and summer of 2013

during which time carbon biomass

production

and export of copepod fecal pellets were studied. Spring and summer fecal pellet carbon biomass ranged 0.30-1.01 mg C/m

(mean=0.56±0.20 mg C/m

) and 0.31-1.18 mg C/m

(mean=0.64±0.24 mg C/m

)

respectively

significantly lower than phytoplankton. At most stations

fecal pellet carbon biomass was higher in surface or subsurface layers than deeper layers. Production rates ranged 0.65-1.49 pellets/(ind.·h) (mean=1.02±0.27 pellets/(ind.·h)) in spring and 0.62-1.34 pellets/(ind.·h) (mean=0.98±0.22 pellets/(ind.·h)) in summer

within the range reported in previous studies. Higher production rates of fecal pellets occurred at stations with higher chlorophyll a concentrations

and production rates of copepods of size 500-1 000 μm greater than copepods

1 000 μm during both cruises. The potential export flux of fecal pellets was slightly higher in summer (mean=68.95±14.37 mg C/(m

·d)) than spring (mean=52.08±11.33 mg C/(m

·d)) owing to higher summer copepod abundances. To our knowledge

this study is the first of its kind in the Changjiang estuary

and it confirms the significant role of copepod fecal pellets in local carbon export.

关键词

Keywords

references

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