Ecology of amorphous aggregations (marine snow) in the northern Adriatic Sea. V. Role of fecal pellets in marine snow
- Author(s)
- A. B. Bochdansky, G. J. Herndl
- Abstract
Numbers of fecal pellets in marine snow varied with depth and kind of aggregates ranging from 31-353 000 fecal pellets l-1 marine snow. Fecal pellets were enriched in marine snow by a factor ranging from 0.3-3800. Small fecal pellets (m<105 μm3) contributed up to 68% of the total fecal pellet volume in marine snow. Fecal pellets are a major source of carbon in marine snow (up to 37%) and they are effectively scavenged especially by large (>1m) amorphous aggregates. Besides low sinking velocities, resuspension and reingestion, trapping of fecal pellets by marine-snow is an efficient mechanism to keep fecal pellet-derived carbon confined to the upper layers of stratified water columns. -from Authors
- Organisation(s)
- Functional and Evolutionary Ecology
- External organisation(s)
- Universität Wien
- Journal
- Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Volume
- 89
- Pages
- 297-303
- No. of pages
- 7
- ISSN
- 0171-8630
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps089297
- Publication date
- 01-1992
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106021 Marine biology
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Aquatic Science, Ecology
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 14 - Life Below Water
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/ecology-of-amorphous-aggregations-marine-snow-in-the-northern-adriatic-sea-v-role-of-fecal-pellets-in-marine-snow(c4375b26-28fb-47f5-96c4-e16220328df3).html