Abstract

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are swarming, oceanic crustaceans, up to two inches long, and best known as prey for whales and penguins – but they have another important role. With their large size, high biomass and daily vertical migrations they transport and transform essential nutrients, stimulate primary productivity and influence the carbon sink. Antarctic krill are also fished by the Southern Ocean’s largest fishery. Yet how krill fishing impacts nutrient fertilisation and the carbon sink in the Southern Ocean is poorly understood. Our synthesis shows fishery management should consider the influential biogeochemical role of both adult and larval Antarctic krill.

Details

Title
The importance of Antarctic krill in biogeochemical cycles
Author
Cavan, E L 1 ; Belcher, A 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Atkinson, A 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hill, S L 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kawaguchi, S 4 ; McCormack, S 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Meyer, B 6 ; Nicol, S 7 ; Ratnarajah, L 8 ; Schmidt, K 9 ; Steinberg, D K 10 ; Tarling, G A 2 ; Boyd, P W 5 

 Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Berkshire, UK 
 British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK 
 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, UK 
 Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS, Australia 
 Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia 
 Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany 
 Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia 
 Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK 
 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK 
10  Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA 
Pages
1-13
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Oct 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2306798639
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.