Midwater zooplankton communities on pelagic detritus (giant
larvacean houses) in Monterey Bay, California.
Diet of copepods (Scopalatum vorax) associated with mesopelagic detritus (giant
larvacean houses) in Monterey Bay, California.
Larvacean feeding nets have fascinated marine scientists for more than a century, and led to the discovery of the nanoplankton--extremely small drifting plants of the seas.
Teleosts and
larvaceans, however, were represented in similar proportions to those at the deep station.
Among other taxa present in both seasons, density and percent density of gastropods were similar between seasons, but
larvaceans were less available in summer than in autumn.
Because the focus of this study was specifically larval fishes, processing of images specifically targeted larval fishes, thereby eliminating the need to capture and classify all imaged particles (e.g., copepods,
larvaceans, medusae, and ctenophores).
4C) and was primarily due to declining percentages of small copepods and
larvaceans and increasing percentages of large copepods and euphausiids.
Prey items were identified to a general taxonomic level (large ([greater than or equal to] 2.5 mm) copepods, small (< 2.5mm) copepods, euphausiids,
larvaceans, Limacina spp., chaetognaths, hyperiid amphipods, other), which were counted and weighed.
Through the use of culture methodologies, laboratory-based experimentation on salps and
larvaceans has begun to address important ecological questions about the role these animals play in the nutrient cycling of the oceans and their impact on the ecosystem.
The
larvaceans generally have small opaque bodies and long transparent tails, but with few exceptions (e.g., Bathochordeus) are smaller than 5 mm (L.
Although sperm chemotaxis has been shown in echinoderms (Miller, 1985), no significant velocity increase or activation of the attracted sperm has ever been mentioned, except in cnidarians (Miller, 1979a, b) and
larvaceans (Miller and King, 1983).
Mysids and
larvaceans from GOA specimens as well as ctenophors, polychaetes, and euphasiids from AI specimens occurred in trace amounts.