Estimates of standing stock, production and consumption of meso- and macrozooplankton in the Benguela ecosystem
Hutchings, L.; Pillar, S.C.; Verheye, H.M. (1991). Estimates of standing stock, production and consumption of meso- and macrozooplankton in the Benguela ecosystem. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci./S.-Afr. Tydskr. Seewet. 11(1): 499-512. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/025776191784287628
In: South African Journal of Marine Science = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Seewetenskap. Marine & Coastal Management: Cape Town. ISSN 0257-7615, meer
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| Auteurs | | Top |
- Hutchings, L.
- Pillar, S.C.
- Verheye, H.M.
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| Abstract |
Attempts are made to consolidate current information on estimates of standing stock, production and consumption of meso- and macrozooplankton from the shelf region of the west and south coasts of southern Africa for inclusion in a network analysis of carbon flow in the Benguela system. The meso- and macrozooplankton communities consist chiefly of copepods and euphausiids respectively. Although geographic and seasonal differences in standing stock are reasonably well described for the inner shelf (<200 m), knowledge of production and rate processes affecting standing stock is limited, and extrapolation to the whole shelf area (<500 m) provides only a crude appraisal of the real situation. Despite the uncertainties, direct measurements have improved on estimates previously inferred. It seems likely that grazing by meso- and macrozooplankton plays a minor role in phytoplankton losses in the Benguela system. However, it would appear that predation by macrozooplankton, particularly under swarming conditions, has an appreciable impact on mesozooplankton biomass. |
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