Many species of micronekton perform diel vertical migrations (DVMs), which ultimately contributes to carbon export to the deep sea. However, not all micronekton species perform DVM, and the nonmigrators, which are often understudied, have different energetic requirements that might be reflected in their trophic ecology. We analyze bulk tissue and whole animal stable nitrogen isotopic compositions ( δ 15 N values) of micronekto...

Several studies have found that the respiratory demand for carbon by the mesopelagic community exceeds carbon supply through the particulate sinking flux by up to two to three orders of magnitude, suggesting that mesopelagic communities rely on additional overlooked carbon sources. Suspended particles (defined as 0.7–53 μ m) have been suggested as one of these sources but few studies have evaluated their contribution to the me...

We used bulk tissue δ 13 C and δ 15 N values and δ 15 N values of individual amino acids (AA) to characterize the trophic structure of a pelagic fish assemblage from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) ecosystem. We focus on energy flow between fishes inhabiting distinct epipelagic, mesopelagic, and upper bathypelagic habitats and on predatory fish foraging across and within these depth habitats. Trophic positions (TPs)...

Here we conduct the first comprehensive assessment of mesozooplankton abundance, biomass, and taxa composition in Cyprus coastal waters (Levantine Sea). Mesozooplankton abundance and biomass sampled at several locations around the island ranged from 153 – 498 individuals m-3 and 0.7 – 5.2 mg dry weight m-3, respectively, with significantly larger biomass observed in winter-early spring (March) than in summer (September). The c...

We used amino acid (AA) compound‐specific isotope analysis ( δ 15 N AA and δ 13 C AA values) of midwater zooplankton and suspended particles to examine their dynamics in the mesopelagic zone. Suspended particle δ 15 N AA values increased by up to 14‰ with depth, whereas particle trophic status (measured as trophic position, TP) remained constant at 1.6 ± 0.07. Applying a Rayleigh distillation model to these results gave an obs...