Authors
Katrin Schmidt, Angus Atkinson, Sebastian Steigenberger, Sophie Fielding, Margaret CM Lindsay, David W Pond, Geraint A Tarling, Thor A Klevjer, Claire S Allen, Stephen Nicol, Eric P Achterberg
Publication date
2011/7
Journal
Limnology and Oceanography
Volume
56
Issue
4
Pages
1411-1428
Description
A compilation of more than 30 studies shows that adult Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) may frequent benthic habitats year‐round, in shelf as well as oceanic waters and throughout their circumpolar range. Net and acoustic data from the Scotia Sea show that in summer 2‐20% of the population reside at depths between 200 and 2000 m, and that large aggregations can form above the seabed. Local differences in the vertical distribution of krill indicate that reduced feeding success in surface waters, either due to predator encounter or food shortage, might initiate such deep migrations and results in benthic feeding. Fatty acid and microscopic analyses of stomach content confirm two different foraging habitats for Antarctic krill: the upper ocean, where fresh phytoplankton is the main food source, and deeper water or the seabed, where detritus and copepods are consumed. Krill caught in upper waters retain signals …
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