Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C508393/1
A trans-Atlantic comparison of the relative overwintering depths of Calanus and its predators: setting the Irminger Sea in a wider geographic context.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor AS Brierley, University of St Andrews, Biology
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor M Heath, University of Strathclyde, Mathematics and Statistics
- Grant held at:
- University of St Andrews, Biology
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Survey & Monitoring
- Community Ecology
- Behavioural Ecology
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- The copepod Calanus finmarchicus is a key component of the North Atlantic ecosystem, forming a vital link between primary production and fisheries. Calanus feeds and reproduces in the surface waters in spring/summer but spends the winter in a dormant state (diapause) in deep waters. Individuals emerging from diapause in the early spring seed the surface populations and, in order to understand spatial and temporal variability in the spring/summer abundance of Calanus, it is vital to understand factors influencing its survival in diapause. Calanus occurs across much of the North Atlantic but does not overwinter at the same depth in all locations. The driving forces behind the differences in overwintering depth are not known, but the avoidance of predators may be one of the factors. We have previously made an extensive study of Calanus predator-prey interactions in the Irminger Basin in the western North Atlantic, including during the winter, and have found there is a mismatch between the overwintering depth of the Calanus and that of its predators. This study will use data from elsewhere in the North Atlantic, where Calanus overwinters at different depths, to expand these observations. This will provide new information on the role of predators in winter mortality of Calanus and insights into the factors behind variability in overwintering depth. Ultimately, it may enable us to predict how the North Atlantic population of Calanus, and its dependent fishery species, may respond to ongoing changes in ocean climate.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C508393/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Directed Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Marine Productivity
This grant award has a total value of £24,812
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £789 | £14,848 | £2,344 | £6,830 |
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