Metazooplankton community structure, feeding rate estimates, and hydrography in a meltwater-influenced Greenlandic fjord

摘要: In order to assess the potential responses of Greenland's coastal ecosystems future cli- mate change, we studied hydrography and distribution metazooplankton, along a transect from slope waters beyond Fyllas Banke inner part Godthabsfjord, West Greenland, in July August 2008, estimated feeding rates for some larger species groups. Within 4 regional domains that were covered study (continental slope, continental shelf, outer sill region, main fjord basin), salty water glacial runoff mixed various extents, 7 masses with specific characteristics identified. The common large copepod Calanus finmarchicus, C. glacialis, hyperboreus, Metridia longa. Small genera - cluded Microsetella, Pseudocalanus, Oithona, while rotifers gastropods (primarily ptero pods) also found high abundance. Species could be linked masses, e.g. spp. primarily associated oceanic or waters, whereas M. longa, Micro setella sp., Pseudocalanus mostly inside fjord. combined biomass zooplankton (5.5 × 10 3 mg C m -2 ) was less than small (6.8 averaged across all sampled stations transect. Estimated situ grazing <10% their maximum rates, indicating food limitation. major predatory groups, Pareuchaeta norvegica chaetognaths, had pre- dation effects <1% d -1 on prey community. dominance within contradicts traditional emphasis large, lipid-rich arctic seas, suggests planktonic web structure different system outside.