Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
September 2024
Marine heatwaves have caused massive mortality in coastal benthic ecosystems, altering community composition. Here, we aim to understand the effects of single and sequential sublethal heatwaves in a temperate benthic ecosystem, investigating their disturbance on various levels of ecological hierarchy, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical and topographic characteristics can structure pelagic habitats and affect the plankton community composition. For example, oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are expected to lead to a habitat compression for species with a high oxygen demand, while upwelling of nutrient-rich deep water at seamounts can locally increase productivity, especially in oligotrophic oceanic waters. Here we investigate the response of the gelatinous zooplankton (GZ) assemblage and biomass to differing oxygen conditions and to a seamount in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) around the Cape Verde archipelago.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGelatinous zooplankton are increasingly acknowledged to contribute significantly to the carbon cycle worldwide, yet many taxa within this diverse group remain poorly studied. Here, we investigate the pelagic tunicate Pyrosoma atlanticum in the waters surrounding the Cabo Verde Archipelago. By using a combination of pelagic and benthic in situ observations, sampling, and molecular genetic analyses (barcoding, eDNA), we reveal that: P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDistribution patterns of fragile gelatinous fauna in the open ocean remain scarcely documented. Using epi-and mesopelagic video transects in the eastern tropical North Atlantic, which features a mild but intensifying midwater oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), we established one of the first regional observations of diversity and abundance of large gelatinous zooplankton. We quantified the day and night vertical distribution of 46 taxa in relation to environmental conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report on the first records of Kiyohimea usagi Matsumoto Robison 1992 (Ctenophora; Eurhamphaeidae) in the Atlantic Ocean. This large, fragile ctenophore cannot be captured by nets, and can only be studied in its natural habitat, the pelagic ocean. In the eastern Atlantic, in the Cape Verde region, in situ observations were obtained using the manned submersible JAGO and a towed pelagic observation system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe surface of a nonwetting droplet is separated from a solid surface by a continuous supply of a lubricating gas film within the apparent contact region. Under certain conditions, e.g.
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