Copepod production in a high latitude shelf system

Calanoid copepods are the predominate component of zooplankton communities on the Bering and Chukchi sea shelves, however direct estimates of their production are rare yet essential to understanding this pelagic system. In June of 2017 and 2018, the most abundant copepods in the region were Calanus marshallae/glacialis, Metridia pacifica, Neocalanus plumchrus, N. flemingeri, and Pseudocalanus spp. We directly measured key vital rates during both years: somatic growth rates, using the artificial cohort method (Pseudocalanus and Calanus), egg production rates (Pseudocalanus, Calanus, Metridia) and respiration rates (Pseudocalanus, Calanus and Metridia). Using biomass determined concurrently for the zooplankton community throughout the region, we estimated secondary production by the copepods as well as their potential energetic requirements. By comparing these to primary production experiments that were run at the same stations, the proportion of primary production consumed by copepods will be estimated. These estimates help us better understand the flow of carbon in this productive high latitude pelagic system.