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Copepod hatching success in marine ecosystems with high diatom concentrations

Nature volume 419, pages 387–389 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Diatoms dominate spring bloom phytoplankton assemblages in temperate waters and coastal upwelling regions of the global ocean. Copepods usually dominate the zooplankton in these regions and are the prey of many larval fish species. Recent laboratory studies suggest that diatoms may have a deleterious effect on the success of copepod egg hatching1,2,3,4. These findings challenge the classical view of marine food-web energy flow from diatoms to fish by means of copepods5,6,7. Egg mortality is an important factor in copepod population dynamics8, thus, if diatoms have a deleterious in situ effect, paradoxically, high diatom abundance could limit secondary production. Therefore, the current understanding of energy transfer from primary production to fisheries in some of the most productive and economically important marine ecosystems9 may be seriously flawed1,10. Here we present in situ estimates of copepod egg hatching success from twelve globally distributed areas, where diatoms dominate the phytoplankton assemblage. We did not observe a negative relationship between copepod egg hatching success and either diatom biomass or dominance in the microplankton in any of these regions. The classical model for diatom-dominated system remains valid.

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Figure 1: Diatoms and copepod egg hatching success.

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Acknowledgements

This is a contribution to the international GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics) programme. We thank the captains and crews of the research vessels who made this work possible.

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Author notes

  1. Jeffrey Runge

    Present address: Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, 142 Morse Hall, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AZTI- Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia portualdea z/g, 20110, Pasaia, Spain

    Xabier Irigoien

  2. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, PL1 3DH, Plymouth, UK

    Roger P. Harris, Tania Smith & Derek Harbour

  3. Marine & Coastal Management, Private Bag X2, Rogge Bay, 8012, Cape Town, South Africa

    Hans M. Verheye

  4. Institut Maurice Lamontagne, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont Joli, Quebec, G5H 3Z4, Canada

    Pierre Joly, Jeffrey Runge & Michel Starr

  5. British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, CB3 0ET, Cambridge, UK

    David Pond, Rachael Shreeve & Peter Ward

  6. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, PO 3055 Stn CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3P6, Canada

    Robert Campbell

  7. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecosset Rd, Groton, Connecticut, 06340, USA

    Amy N. Smith & Hans G. Dam

  8. National Marine Fisheries Service, 2030 S. Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon, 97365, USA

    William Peterson

  9. Department of Biology-University of Trieste and LBM, Via Weiss 2, Trieste, Italy

    Valentina Tirelli

  10. Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, PO Box 59, Den Burg, 1790 AB, The Netherlands

    Marja Koski

  11. Southampton Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK

    Hans M. Verheye & Russell Davidson

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  1. Xabier Irigoien
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  13. William Peterson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xabier Irigoien.

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The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

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Irigoien, X., Harris, R., Verheye, H. et al. Copepod hatching success in marine ecosystems with high diatom concentrations. Nature 419, 387–389 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01055

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