Early life history of Metridia pacifica brodsky (Copepoda: Calanoida) from the southeastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 199

Distribution, Growth And Egg Production Of Euphausiids In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006The euphausiids Thysanoessa inermis, Thysanoessa spinifera and Euphausia pacifica are key pelagic grazers and important prey for many vertebrates in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This thesis provides the first account of distribution, egg production, growth, development, and temporal variability in abundance of the euphausiids in relation to environmental variations in the northern GOA. T. inermis and T spinifera were abundant on the shelf within 120-130 km from the coast, while E. pacifica originated from offshore and was advected onto the shelf during summer. E. pacifica produced multiple broods with brood size strongly related to ambient chlorophyll a concentrations. In contrast, T. inermis released eggs once in the season and its brood size did not depend on chlorophyll content. Early development of these species showed a remarkably similar response to changes in temperature. The highest molting increments were observed during the spring phytoplankton bloom for T. inermis, and in summer for T. spinifera and E. pacifica, suggesting coupling with food availability. The molting rates were strongly influenced by temperature. Growth rates depended on euphausiid size, and were close to 0 in early spring, reaching maximum values in May (0.123 mm d-1 or 0.023 d -1 for T. inermis) and July (0.091 mm d-1 or 0.031 d-1 for T. spinifera). The growth rates for E. pacifica remained below 0.07 mm d -1 (0.016 d-1) throughout the season. The relationship between T. inermis weight specific growth rate (adjusted to 5�C) and ambient chlorophyll-a concentration fit a Michaelis-Menten curve (r2=0.48), but such relationships were not significant for T. spinifera or E. pacifica. Reproduction of T. inermis occurred during April in 1998 and 2003, and was extended through May in 1999-2002. The spawning of T. inermis and T. spinifera was related to the spring diatom bloom on the inner shelf, while the spawning of E. pacifica occurred later in season, when the water temperature increased. A strong increase in abundance of T. inermis, associated with the extended colder phase in the North Pacific, indicates that progressive cooling in 1999-2002 may have resulted in greater reproductive success of early spawning T. inermis on the inner shelf

Anomalous conditions in the south-eastern Bering Sea, 1997: nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton

Anomalies in the regional weather over the southeastern Bering Sea during spring and summer of 1997 resulted in significant differences in nutrient availability, phytoplankton species composition, and zooplankton abundance over the continental shelf as compared with measurements in the 1980s. Calm winds and the reduction of cloud cover in spring and summer produced a very shallow mixed layer in which nitrate and silicate were depleted after an April diatom bloom. High submarine light levels allowed subsequent phytoplankton growth below the pycnocline and eventual depletion of nitrate from the water column to depths of 70 m or more. Thus, total new production during 1997 may have exceeded that of previous years when nitrate was not depleted below the pycnocline. A bloom of the coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi, was observed in early July in the warm, nutrient-depleted waters over the middle and inner shelf. Emiliania huxleyi concentrations reached 4.5 × 106 cells L-1 by September, and the bloom persisted through the autumn. There was evidence for increased abundance of some species of copepods in 1997 as compared with data from the middle domain in June 1981. The abundance of adult and juvenile euphausiids in 1997 was statistically similar to values measured in 1980 and 1981. However, near-surface swarms were rarely observed on the inner shelf in August-September 1997. Lack of euphausiid availability in the upper water column may partially explain the August-September mass mortality of planktivorous short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) observed on the inner shelf