Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2017
DOI
10.3354/meps12347
Publication Title
Marine Ecology Progress Series
Volume
584
Pages
45-65
Abstract
Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, crystal krill E. crystallorophias, and Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarctica are key mid-trophic level species in the Ross Sea, connecting primary production to the upper trophic levels. Distributions of these species were constructed from observations made in the western Ross Sea from 1988 to 2004. Distributions of environmental conditions were obtained from a 5-km resolution circulation model (temperature, mixed layer depth, surface speed) and satellite-derived observations (chlorophyll, sea ice cover). A hierarchy of statistical methods determined correlations and relationships between species and environmental conditions. Each species occupies a localized habitat defined by different environmental characteristics. Antarctic krill are concentrated along the northwestern shelf break in a habitat characterized by deep (>1000 m) bottom depth, warm temperature (1 to 1.25 degrees C), decreased sea ice, and proximity to the shelf break. Crystal krill and Antarctic silverfish are concentrated in Terra Nova Bay. Common characteristics of the habitat for these species are southwesterly location, coastal proximity, and cold temperature (-1.75 to -2 degrees C). The habitat characteristics obtained for the 3 species provide a basis for projecting potential distribution changes in response to environmental change and for delineating regions of the Ross Sea for focused management and selection of marine protected areas that support ecosystem-level conservation plans. © The authors 2017.
Rights
Open Access under Creative Commons by Attribution Licence. Use, distribution and reproduction are un restricted. Authors and original publication must be credited.
Original Publication Citation
Davis, L. B., Hofmann, E. E., Klinck, J. M., Pinones, A., & Dinniman, M. S. (2017). Distributions of krill and Antarctic silverfish and correlations with environmental variables in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 584, 45-65. doi:10.3354/meps12347
Repository Citation
Davis, L. Brynn; Hofmann, Eileen E.; Klinck, John M.; Piñones, Andrea; and Dinniman, Michael S., "Distributions of Krill and Antarctic Silverfish and Correlations with Environmental Variables in the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica" (2017). CCPO Publications. 215.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/ccpo_pubs/215
ORCID
0000-0001-6710-4371 (Hofmann), 0000-0003-4312-5201 (Klinck), 0000-0001-7519-9278 (Dinniman)
Included in
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Oceanography Commons