Journal of Plankton Research, Vol 21, 1847-1863, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
B Christiansen, B Druke, R Koppelmann and H Weikert
The near-bottom zooplankton of the abyssal BIOTRANS site (water depth 4500
m was studied at two stations 11 nautical miles (nm) apart. Stratified
sampling was conducted by means of a double MOCNESS at three depth layers
20, 50 and 100 m above bottom. The composition of the zooplankton showed a
predominance of copepods, making up >50% of the total zooplankton
abundance. Ostracods and chaetognaths were the most important non-copepods,
displaying a slight increase towards the bottom. The variability of
abundance and biomass was analysed statistically at different scales.
Logarithmic coefficients of variation ranged from 29 to 187% for various
taxa. Sampling at the two stations added significantly to the total
variance for some taxa. By contrast, vertical gradients were mostly weak.
Possible reasons for the observed variability are discussed.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
The near-bottom zooplankton at the abyssal BIOTRANS site, northeast Atlantic: composition, abundance and variability
Universitat Hamburg, Institut fur Hydrobiologie und Fischereiwissenschaft, Zeiseweg 9, D-22765 Hamburg, Germany
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