Deep-living chaetognaths in the Southern Ocean
Chaetognaths, commonly known as arrow worms, are a small phyllum consisting of approximately 150 species. They are found from the tropics to the polar oceans and from surface waters to the deep sea. Second to copepods, these predators are considered as one of the most important contributors to the zooplankton abundance and biomass in the Southern Ocean. However, the role of chaetognaths in the zooplankton community and the food web is still not fully understood, however, and only little attention has been payed to the chaetognaths living at meso- and bathypelagic depth (below 500 m).
Research Topics
A PhD study, carried out between 2006 and 2009, focussed on the biology of deep-living chaetognaths in the Southern Ocean. This study had the following aims:
- To examine species composition, density, distribution patterns (temporal and spatial) and population structure of meso- and bathypelagic chaetognaths in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.
- To investigate the biology of deep-living chaetognaths during summer and winter, especially in terms of reproduction, feeding, respiration and lipid metabolism.
- To estimate the role of the chaetognaths as predators on the mesopelagic zooplankton/copepod community and to evaluate their role in cycling of organic matter in the deep pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean.
