Clearance of picoplankton-sized partides and formation of rapidly sinking aggregates by the pteropod, Limacina reiroversa |
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Authors: | Noji Thomas T; Bathmann Ulrich V; Bodungen Bodo von; Voss Maren; Antia Avan; Krumbholz Manta; Klein Bert; Peeken Ilka; Noji Carola I-M; Rey Francisco |
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Institution: | Institute of Marine Research PO Box 1870, N-5024
1Alfred Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung Am Handelshafen 12, D-27515 Bremerhaven
2Institute for Baltic Sea Research Seestraße 15, D-25300 Warnemünde
3Sonderforschungs 313 University of Kiel, Heinrich-Hecht Platz 10, D-24118 Kiel 1, FRG
4GIROQ, Dép. biologie, Université Laval Québec, G1K 7P4, Canada
5Institute of Fisheries and Marine Biology, University of Bergen N-5007 Bergen, Norway |
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Abstract: | Findings from experiments showed that the web-feeding euthecosomatouspteropod, Limacina retroversa, can produce rapidly sinking,mucous aggregates. It is suggested that, by adhesion, theseaggregates scavenged picoplankton-sized particles, which werethus effectively cleared from the medium. In contrast, Calanusfinmarchicus was not able to clear these particles in our experiments.Sedimentation velocities of 10 aggregates measured in vivo wereup to 1000 m day1, with an average of {small tilde}300m day1 (not including two aggegates with neutral buoyancy).Mean velocities measured for feces of C.finmarchicus, Calanushyperboreus and Thyssnoessa sp. were consider ably lower. Wesuggest that the sedimentation of L retroversa aggregates wasthe source of mucous flocs collected in sediment traps (Bathmannet al., Deep-Sea Res., 38,13411360,1991) and at the seafloor at 1200 m depth in the southern Norwegian Sea. This processmay be an important mediator of sedimentation to the deep sea,when these pteropods are present in surface waters in largeabundance. |
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