Metridia gerlachei | |
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Species: | M. gerlachei |
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Metridia gerlachei Giesbrecht, 1902 | |
Metridia gerlachei is a copepod found primarily in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters.
In length, the female M. gerlachei is between about 3.25 and 4.3 millimetres (0.128 and 0.169 in) with a mean of 3.8 millimetres (0.15 in). The male is smaller, between about 2.15 and 2.7 millimetres (0.085 and 0.106 in) and averaging 2.55 millimetres (0.100 in) in length. [1]
M. gerlachei is found primarily in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, in addition to records from the southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. [1]
M. gerlachei may start to reproduce during late winter [note 1] or early spring and stops during mid-winter (although a more conservative estimate gives from December to April [2] ). [3] Breeding peaks in December and January due to the abundance of phytoplankton. [2] It has a relatively low egg production rate of about 6 eggs per day at saturated food concentrations. [4]
During summer, most of the population is found from the surface to 300 metres (980 ft) in depth. The population is evenly distributed throughout the water column in autumn and winter. It then becomes concentrated between 200 and 1,000 metres (660 and 3,280 ft) in depth during spring. [3] During the day, M. gerlachei is concentrated below 200 metres (660 ft). It starts to ascend to the surface when the decrease in light is maximal, reaching the surface a few hours later. The most feeding occurs at this point. The descent starts right after this, and ends when the increase in light reaches its maximum. The population is usually concentrated within 50 metres (160 ft) of depth during this diel vertical migration. [5]
M. gerlachei is omnivorous, eating mainly phytoplankton, [5] but also copepod eggs, [6] Oncaea curvata , [7] and other animal matter. [8]
Antarctic krill is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is the dominant animal species of Earth. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic metre. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their pelagic life cycle. It grows to a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in), weighs up to 2 grams (0.071 oz), and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and in terms of biomass, is one of the most abundant animal species on the planet.
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Calanus pacificus is a species of copepod found in the Pacific Ocean. The female has an average length of about 3.1 millimetres (0.12 in), and the male has a value of about 2.9 millimetres (0.11 in).
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Metridia longa is a copepod found in the Arctic, the north Atlantic, the Pacific, and surrounding waters. The female has an average length of about 4.2 millimetres (0.17 in), and the males have an average length of about 3.5 millimetres (0.14 in).
Metridia pacifica is a copepod found in the north Pacific and surrounding waters.
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