Secondary production in waters influenced by upwelling off the coast of Somalia
During the southwest monsoon of 1979, plankton samples were collected between the equator and 12{degrees}N. Surface samples collected while the research vessel was surveying this area have been analyzed for the abundance of copepod nauplii, primarily the young of the copepod Calanoides carinatus. These samples revealed a sharp rise in the abundance of nauplii in regions where sea-surface temperatures were less than 10{degrees}C. The development state of the gonads of female C. carinatus also showed that reproduction was likely to be most intense nearshore in cold, recently upwelled water. Lipid content of females was inversely related to gonad development, suggesting that lipids sequestered at some earlier point in the life cycle were being used to synthesize eggs. Secondary production is therefore highest in the nearshore areas having cool sea-surface temperatures. Growth of phytoplankton and growth of C. carinatus seem to be closely coupled; daily ingestion rates estimated in nearshore areas where potential secondary production was high were equal to or greater than measured rates of primary production. This study was done of the waters influenced by upwelling off the coast of Somalia.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 5560726
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-47191; ON: DE92010170; CNN: OCE78-25454
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COPEPODS
LIFE CYCLE
BIOMASS
COASTAL WATERS
FOOD CHAINS
LIPIDS
SAMPLING
SOMALIA
UPWELLING
ZOOPLANKTON
AFRICA
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
CRUSTACEANS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
INVERTEBRATES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANKTON
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SURFACE WATERS
550100* - Behavioral Biology