Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels
Understanding the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill is important for understanding spatial distribution, ecophysiology, trophic interactions and carbon fluxes of this Southern Ocean key species. In this study, we analysed an eight-month continuous dataset recorded with an ES80 echosoun...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230520 |
| _version_ | 1827805892865687552 |
|---|---|
| author | Dominik Bahlburg Lukas Hüppe Thomas Böhrer Sally E. Thorpe Eugene J. Murphy Uta Berger Bettina Meyer |
| author_facet | Dominik Bahlburg Lukas Hüppe Thomas Böhrer Sally E. Thorpe Eugene J. Murphy Uta Berger Bettina Meyer |
| author_sort | Dominik Bahlburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill is important for understanding spatial distribution, ecophysiology, trophic interactions and carbon fluxes of this Southern Ocean key species. In this study, we analysed an eight-month continuous dataset recorded with an ES80 echosounder on board a commercial krill fishing vessel in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Our analysis supports the existing hypothesis that krill swarms migrate into deeper waters during winter but also reveals a high degree of variability in vertical migration behaviour within seasons, even at small spatial scales. During summer, we found that behaviour associated with prolonged surface presence primarily occurred at low surface chlorophyll a concentrations whereas multiple ascent–descent cycles per day occurred when surface chlorophyll a concentrations were elevated. The high plasticity, with some krill swarms behaving differently in the same location at the same time, suggests that krill behaviour is not a purely environmentally driven process. Differences in life stage, physiology and type of predator are likely other important drivers. Finally, our study demonstrates new ways of using data from krill fishing vessels, and with the routine collection of additional information in potential future projects, they have great potential to significantly advance our understanding of krill ecology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:33:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45572059d6094d5f8189adaa9b7fa40c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:33:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-45572059d6094d5f8189adaa9b7fa40c2023-09-27T07:06:14ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032023-09-0110910.1098/rsos.230520Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vesselsDominik Bahlburg0Lukas Hüppe1Thomas Böhrer2Sally E. Thorpe3Eugene J. Murphy4Uta Berger5Bettina Meyer6Forstliche Biometrie und Systemanalyse, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Straße 8, 01737 Tharandt, Dresden, GermanyNeurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilian-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, GermanyFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schloßplatz 4, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyEcosystems, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UKEcosystems, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UKForstliche Biometrie und Systemanalyse, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Straße 8, 01737 Tharandt, Dresden, GermanyAlfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, GermanyUnderstanding the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill is important for understanding spatial distribution, ecophysiology, trophic interactions and carbon fluxes of this Southern Ocean key species. In this study, we analysed an eight-month continuous dataset recorded with an ES80 echosounder on board a commercial krill fishing vessel in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Our analysis supports the existing hypothesis that krill swarms migrate into deeper waters during winter but also reveals a high degree of variability in vertical migration behaviour within seasons, even at small spatial scales. During summer, we found that behaviour associated with prolonged surface presence primarily occurred at low surface chlorophyll a concentrations whereas multiple ascent–descent cycles per day occurred when surface chlorophyll a concentrations were elevated. The high plasticity, with some krill swarms behaving differently in the same location at the same time, suggests that krill behaviour is not a purely environmentally driven process. Differences in life stage, physiology and type of predator are likely other important drivers. Finally, our study demonstrates new ways of using data from krill fishing vessels, and with the routine collection of additional information in potential future projects, they have great potential to significantly advance our understanding of krill ecology.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230520Antarctic krillvertical migration behaviourseasonal vertical migration |
| spellingShingle | Dominik Bahlburg Lukas Hüppe Thomas Böhrer Sally E. Thorpe Eugene J. Murphy Uta Berger Bettina Meyer Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels Royal Society Open Science Antarctic krill vertical migration behaviour seasonal vertical migration |
| title | Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| title_full | Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| title_fullStr | Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| title_short | Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| title_sort | plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels |
| topic | Antarctic krill vertical migration behaviour seasonal vertical migration |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230520 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dominikbahlburg plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT lukashuppe plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT thomasbohrer plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT sallyethorpe plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT eugenejmurphy plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT utaberger plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels AT bettinameyer plasticityandseasonalityoftheverticalmigrationbehaviourofantarctickrillusingacousticdatafromfishingvessels |