Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Davis, Cabell S.
• Gallager, Scott M.
• Solow, Andrew R.

Titel

Microaggregations of Oceanic Plankton Observed by Towed Video Microscopy

Ist Teil von

• Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 1992-07, Vol.257 (5067), p.230-232

Ort / Verlag

Washington, DC: American Society for the Advancement of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

1992

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Oceanic plankton have been hypothesized to occur in micropatches (<10 meters) that can have a large impact on marine ecosystem dynamics. Towed video microscopy was used to unobtrusively determine distributions of oceanic plankton over a continuum of scales from microns to hundreds of meters. Distinct, taxa-specific aggregations measuring less than 20 centimeters were found for copepods but not for nonmotile (cyanobacterial colonies) or asexual (doliolid phorozooids) forms, which suggests that these small patches are related to mating. Significant patchiness was also found on larger scales and was correlated among taxa, indicating physical control. These video observations provide new insights into basic plankton ecology by allowing quantitative assessment of individual plankton in their natural, undisturbed state.