Metabolic Potential of Deep-sea Animals: Regional and Global Scales
نویسندگان
چکیده
A significant C flux into the deep-sea which is not accounted for by sedimentary flux results from the vertical transport of organic C in the bodies of zooplankton and micronekton. The energy metabolism of these animals results in the production of CO2 in these deeper waters and is a flux which is currently estimated from the differences in sedimentation at different depths. We evaluate the possibility of estimating this flux directly from biomass and metabolic rate measurements. We review the factors which affect metabolic rates and the use of enzyme assays to estimate metabolic rates and conclude that a combination of these methods would enable one to estimate the in situ metabolic rates of all major pelagic zooplankton and micronekton groups. These data could, if used with appropriate biomass estimates, enable calculation of the contribution of these animals’ respiration to global carbon flux and be the first step in evaluating their total role in such flux.
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