Sub-project 5 (IHF)
Meso- and macrozooplankton dynamics in the southwest African Upwelling region: shelf sea - open ocean interactions
Zooplankton organisms are important producers and consumers of organic material in marine ecosystems. They transfer carbon to higher trophic levels via the food chain and contribute to the transport of carbon into greater depths. On the other hand, they play an important role for the re-mineralization of organic matter. The main goal of this sub-project is to identify the influences of lateral and vertical fluxes of material on the zooplankton community and to assess possible feedback mechanisms in the high productive Benguela Upwelling region. Zooplankton will be sampled on four cruises and will be analyzed for biomass, abundance and its carbon budget. These results will be synthesized in the GENUS group and will provide data for modeling.
The influence of lateral and vertical biogeochemical fluxes on the zooplankton and their feeback mechanisms will be investigated. This sub-project will investigate bulk parameters of zooplankton size classes and some specific groups.
The following topics will be investigated:
- Qualification and quantification of zooplankton and micronekton main groups with nets and
acoustic means (ADCP, echo sounder)
- Determination and quantification of vertical migrating organisms - Contribution to assess the
lateral transport of zooplankton
- Determination of carbon consumption rates of zooplankton and key taxa - Determination of the
trophic position of main taxa and their food sources by means of stable isotope analyses (N =
trophic position, C = food source)
- Assessment of the predation pressure by gelatinous organisms