Atsushi Yamaguchi

Spatial and temporal changes in zooplankton abundance, biovolume, and size spectra in the neighboring waters of Japan: analyses using an optical plankton counter

BackgroundAn optical plankton counter (OPC) was used to examine spatial and temporal changes in the zooplankton size spectra in the neighboring waters of Japan from May to August 2011.ResultsBased on the zooplankton biovolume of equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) in 45 bins for every 0.1xa0mm between 0.5 and 5.0xa0mm, a Bray-Curtis cluster analysis classified the zooplankton communities into six groups. The geographical distribution of each group varied from each of the others. Groups with a dominance of 4 to 5xa0mm ESD were observed in northern marginal seas (northern Japan Sea and Okhotsk Sea), while the least biovolume with a dominance of a small-size class (0.5 to 1xa0mm) was observed for the Kuroshio extension. Temporal changes were observed along the 155° E line, i.e., a high biovolume group dominated by 2 to 3xa0mm ESD during May shifted to other size spectra groups during July to August. These temporal changes were caused by the seasonal vertical descent of dominant large Neocalanus copepods during July to August. As a specific characteristic of the normalized biomass size spectra (NBSS), the slope of NBSS was moderate (−0.90) for the Neocalanus dominant spring group but was at −1.11 to −1.24 for the other groups. Theoretically, the slope of the NBSS of the stable marine ecosystem is known to settle at approximately −1.ConclusionsBased on the analysis by OPC, zooplankton size spectra in the neighboring waters of Japan were separated into six groups. Most groups had −1.11 to −1.24 NBSS slopes, which were slightly higher than the theoretical value (−1). However, one group had a moderate slope of NBSS (−0.90) caused by the dominance of large Neocalanus copepods.

Reproductive success of Pacific copepods in the Arctic Ocean and the possibility of changes in the Arctic ecosystem

The species composition of Arctic zooplankton differs greatly from that of the zooplankton of the North Pacific and Bering Sea. Particularly with greater warming from sea-ice retreat, the reproduction of North Pacific species transported into the Chukchi Sea and beyond may lead to changes in the Arctic pelagic ecosystem. We report the egg production and hatching of the Pacific copepod Neocalanus flemingeri in the Chukchi Sea based on shipboard experiments performed in September 2013. The reproductive capability of N. flemingeri observed in the Chukchi Sea resembled that reported in the Pacific, with the exception of a lower hatching success. Only 7.5xa0% of N. flemingeri eggs hatched compared with 93xa0% in Pacific experiments. Low hatching success is considered to be caused by failures of fertilization. The potential recruitment number for N. flemingeri suggests that it is unlikely to establish expatriate Arctic populations in the near future.

Horizontal distribution of microprotist community structure in the western Arctic Ocean during late summer and early fall of 2010

The western Arctic Ocean is composed of two regions: the southern shelf and the northern basin, whereas the marine ecosystem structure is expected to vary between the regions, little information is available, particularly for the planktonic protist community. In this study, we surveyed the horizontal distribution of microprotists (diatoms, dinoflagellates and ciliates) at 59 stations in the western Arctic Ocean during September and October of 2010. The abundances of diatoms, dinoflagellates and ciliates were 0–138,640, 0–16,460 and 0–10,933xa0cellsxa0L−1, respectively, and all of the abundances were higher on the Chukchi Sea shelf. Cluster analysis based on abundance separated the microprotist community into five groups, which contain 25, 22, 6, 4 and 2 stations. The largest group was observed on the Chukchi Sea shelf, showing a high abundance predominated by diatoms (78xa0% of total abundance). The second group was observed from the East Siberian Sea to the Canada Basin, characterised by low abundance and ciliate dominance (36xa0% of total abundance). Because of the high abundance and predominance of diatoms, the former group is characterised by eutrophic waters, which are enhanced by the continuous inflow of the nutrient-rich Pacific Water through the Bering Strait. Due to the low abundance and the dominance of ciliates, the latter group is dominated by organisms of the microbial food web. The remaining three groups were smaller and located between the two large groups. The distribution of these three groups may be based on complex physical structures, such as the anticyclonic eddy near the shelf break.

The uROV PICASSO, the Visual Plankton Recorder, and other attempts to image plankton

A recently developed untethered but remotely operated survey platform, the PICASSO system, is described. This vehicle was designed specifically for surveys of macro- and megazooplankton and marine particulates (maximum depth 1000 m), to link information on gelatinous zooplankton diversity, behaviour and community structure with their function as packagers and producers of marine snow. In addition, an autonomous Visual Plankton Recorder, which is also deployable on the PICASSO vehicle, has been used to investigate particle profiles and plankton distribution vs. depth. Some results from these two systems from eastern Antarctica, the Coral Sea in Australia, and off Japan are introduced. Other techniques for imaging plankton in three dimensions are also introduced.

Spatial changes in the vertical distribution of calanoid copepods down to great depths in the North Pacific

BackgroundDespite its ecological importance, little information is available regarding the spatial and vertical changes in the calanoid copepod community over large geographical regions. This study investigated the spatial and vertical patterns in calanoid copepod abundance and community structure using zooplankton samples collected between depths of 0 and 2,615xa0m across the North Pacific from 0° to 56°N.ResultsA total of 211 calanoid copepod species belonging to 66 genera and 24 families were identified. Calanoid copepod abundance decreased with increasing depth, and few latitudinal differences were detected. Across the entire region, species diversity peaked near 500 to 2,000xa0m in depth. The calanoid copepod community was separated into seven groups with distinct spatial and vertical distributions. For all groups, the number of species was low (28 to 37 species) in the subarctic region (north of 40°N) and high (116 to 121 species) in the subtropical-tropical region. The deepest group in the subtropical-tropical region was composed of cosmopolitan species, and this group was also observed in deep water in the subarctic region.ConclusionsIn deep water, most of the calanoid copepod community consisted of cosmopolitan species, while an endemic community was observed in the subarctic region. Because the food of deep-sea calanoid copepods originates from the surface layer, sufficient and excess flux in the eutrophic subarctic region may be responsible for maintaining the endemic species in the region.

Seasonal changes in the population structure of dominant planktonic copepods collected using a sediment trap moored in the western Arctic Ocean

Winter ice cover of the Arctic Ocean makes year-round zooplankton sampling by plankton net a difficult task. Therefore, the collection of copepods with a sediment trap can be a powerful tool. In the present study, we analysed the seasonal changes in the population structures of five dominant planktonic copepods (Oncaea parila, Calanus hyperboreus, Metridia longa, Paraeuchaeta glacialis and Heterorhabdus norvegicus), which were collected using a sediment trap rotated at 10–15 day intervals moored at 184–260 m in the Northwind Abyssal Plain (75°00′N, 162°00′W) of the western Arctic Ocean from October 2010 to September 2012. Oncaea parila C6F with egg sacs occurred throughout the year, and the total abundance and composition of early copepodid stages (C1−C3) had two peaks each year. Calanus hyperboreus was dominated by C6F throughout the year, and their maturation was observed during February to May. Metridia longa C6F had a clear seasonality in lipid accumulation and gonad maturation: high lipid accumulation was observed from October to February, whereas gonad maturation occurred from March to September. Paraeuchaeta glacialis C6F also showed seasonality in lipid accumulation and gonad maturation, although their seasonal patterns varied from those of M. longa: high lipid individuals were abundant from February to April and mature individuals dominated from October to November. Heterorhabdus norvegicus showed seasonal changes in population structure as well: C1, C5, and C6M dominated from April to May, November to February and August to October, respectively. The life cycle patterns of these species are compared with those reported from other areas. While the results obtained by a sediment trap are inevitably subject to collection bias (i.e. passive collection at a fixed depth), a sediment trap should be considered as a powerful tool for the evaluation of the life cycle of planktonic copepods, especially in ice-covered oceans.

SEASONAL CHANGES IN BODY SIZE AND OIL SAC VOLUME OF THREE PLANKTONIC COPEPODS, PARACALANUS PARVUS (CLAUS, 1863), PSEUDOCALANUS NEWMANI FROST, 1989 AND OITHONA SIMILIS CLAUS, 1866, IN A TEMPERATE EMBAYMENT: WHAT CONTROLS THEIR SEASONALITY?

Seasonal changes in body size (prosome length: PL) and oil sac volume (OSV) of the three most numerically abundant copepods in Ishikari Bay, northern Sea of Japan, Paracalanus parvus (Claus, 1863), Pseudocalanus newmani Frost, 1989 and Oithona similis Claus, 1866, were studied using monthly samples collected through vertical hauls of a 100-μm mesh NORPAC net from March, 2001 to May, 2002. Seasonal changes in PL were common for the three species and were more pronounced during a cold spring. PL was negatively correlated with temperature, and this relationship was described well using the Bělehradek equation. Seasonal changes in OSV exhibited a species-specific pattern, i.e., OSV was greater during a warm summer for P. parvus and was greater during a cold spring for P. newmani and O. similis. The OSV peak period corresponded with the optimal thermal season of each species. The relative OSV to prosome volume of the small copepods (0.6-0.8%) was substantially lower than that of the large copepods (20-32%). These facts suggest that the oil sac of small copepods is not used for overwintering or diapauses or during periods of food scarcity, but is instead used as the primary energy source for reproduction, which occurs during the optimum thermal season of each species.

SEASONAL AND INTER-SPECIES COMPARISON OF ASYMMETRY IN THE GENITAL SYSTEM OF SOME SPECIES OF THE OCEANIC COPEPOD GENUS METRIDIA (COPEPODA, CALANOIDA)

The seasonal and inter-annual changes in the asymmetry of female insemination and the male leg 5 of the planktonic calanoid copepods Metridia okhotensis and M. pacifica were investigated in the Okhotsk Sea. An inter-species comparison of both parameters was also carried out on seven Metridia species collected from oceans throughout the world. For M. okhotensis from the Okhotsk Sea, most of the females showed left-side insemination (annual average: 95.7%) and most of the males showed left-side asymmetry (99.7%) of the long inner process of the second exopodal segment in the fifth leg throughout the year. However, sympatric M. pacifica showed different ratios of asymmetry for female insemination and male morphotypes with a leftu2009:u2009rightxa0= 1u2009:u20092 ratio throughout the year. For the seven Metridia species from the global oceans treated in this study, ratios of asymmetry for female insemination and male morphotypes were correlated with each other. One-sided insemination (i.e., only left or only right insemination) was a common pattern for various Metridia species from global oceans, but their ratios varied by species. Previously, low hatching rates (29-68%) of eggs were reported for various Metridia spp. in laboratory experiments, but the reasons for these low rates were unclear. Because each spermatheca of Metridia spp. is connected to the oviduct on the same side, either left or right, this suggests that half of the eggs produced by unilaterally inseminated females remain unfertilized. The morphology of the genital structures and literature data of the egg hatching rates of Metridia spp. indicate that almost half of the eggs produced by females are not viable and are, thus, wasted.

Seasonal abundance, population structure, sex ratio and gonad maturation of Metridia okhotensis Brodsky, 1950 in the Okhotsk Sea: analysis of samples collected by pumping up from deep water

In the Okhotsk Sea, the calanoid copepod Metridia okhotensis Brodsky, 1950 is the dominant component of zooplankton, accounting for 61% of the annual mean total pelagic copepods. Although this organism is important, little ecological information is available for M. okhotensis in the Okhotsk Sea because of the ice cover during winter, which prevents the collection of seasonal samples in this region. Here, we report the seasonal changes in the population structure, sex ratio and female gonad maturation of M. okhotensis . The data are from samples collected using water pumped from a depth of 350xa0m off Rausu Harbour in the Okhotsk Sea at 2-week intervals over a 2.5-year period. Due to the mesh size of the strainer (420xa0μm), M. okhotensis was collected from C3 to adults. The sex ratio of C5 (femaleu2009:u2009male) was approximately 1u2009:u20091 throughout the year. In contrast, the sex ratio of C6 (adult) showed a clear seasonality, with males (C6M) occurring only from December to May and females (C6F) dominating during the other seasons. The gonad maturation of C6F was scored using five categories, and their composition also showed clear seasonality. From January to April, gonads developed rapidly from stage I (immature) to V (spawning). During the other seasons, the majority of C6F had immature gonads. Based on these data, we conclude that this species likely has a diapause phase for C6F, with immature gonads, and C5M from June to November. Moulting from C5M to C6M began in December. Accompanying the occurrence of C6M, C6F were fertilized from December to January. C6F underwent gonad maturation from January to April and performed primary reproduction from April to May. Thereafter, M. okhotensis entered diapause from June to November.

Inter-oceanic comparison of planktonic copepod ecology (vertical distribution, abundance, community structure, population structure and body size) between the Okhotsk Sea and Oyashio region in autumn

Several aspects of the ecology of planktonic copepods (vertical distribution, abundance, community structure, population structure and body size) were evaluated and compared between communities in the autumn, in the Okhotsk Sea and the adjacent Oyashio region in the western North Pacific. Vertically, copepods were concentrated primarily at depths of 250 to 500 m in the Okhotsk Sea but near the surface in the Oyashio region. The abundances of most of the copepods were greater in the Oyashio region with the exception of Metridia okhotensis, which showed significantly greater abundance in the Okhotsk Sea (30 times greater) and dominated the copepod community, accounting for approximately 70% of total copepod abundance. The population structure of the dominant copepods in the Okhotsk Sea was dominated by late copepod stages, suggesting that these copepods were in the resting phase. The prosome lengths of most of the copepods were larger in the Okhotsk Sea than in the Oyashio region and the larger body size is probably due to the lower habitat temperatures. The special ecological characteristics of planktonic copepods in the Okhotsk Sea are possibly related to the development of a strong pycnocline in the Okhotsk Sea. The consequences of differences in copepod communities between regions were discussed from the viewpoints of life cycle timing and the scale of active vertical flux.