Life strategy of Antarctic silverfish promote large carbon export in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea
Clara Manno, Erica Carlig, Pier Paolo Falco, Pasquale Castagno, Giorgio Budillon

TL;DR
Antarctic silverfish contribute significantly to carbon export in the Ross Sea through their eggs and feces, impacting the Southern Ocean's carbon cycle.
Contribution
This study quantifies the role of Antarctic silverfish in carbon flux, revealing their spawning strategy modulates carbon export.
Findings
Eggs and feces of Antarctic silverfish account for 41% of annual POC flux in the Ross Sea.
The variability in carbon flux is influenced by the spawning strategy of the species.
A potential decrease in silverfish biomass could impact Southern Ocean biogeochemical cycles.
Abstract
Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum is the most abundant pelagic fish in the High Antarctic shelf waters of the Southern Ocean, where it plays a pivotal role in the trophic web as the major link between lower and higher trophic levels. Despite the ecological importance of this species, knowledge about its role in the biogeochemical cycle is poor. We determine the seasonal contribution of Antarctic silverfish to carbon flux in terms of faeces and eggs, from samples collected in the Ross Sea. We find that eggs and faeces production generate a flux accounting for 41% of annual POC flux and that the variability of this flux is modulated by spawning strategy. This study shows the important role of this organism as a vector for carbon flux. Since Antarctic silverfish are strongly dependent on sea-ice, they might be especially sensitive to climatic changes. Our results suggest that a…
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsMarine and fisheries research · Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies · Marine and coastal ecosystems
