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Spatial and trophic ecology of the sawtooth eel, Serrivomer beanii, a biomass-dominant bathypelagic fish over the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge

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Date Issued:
2008
Summary:
The role of Serrivomer beanii in bathypelagic food webs is poorly known, but abundance and biomass estimates from the 2004 G.O. Sars MAR-ECO Expedition suggest it to have a high level of importance. MAR-ECO, a Census of Marine Life field project, has allowed us to increase our knowledge of S. beanii through spatial analysis, including the congeneric species Serrivomer lanceolatoides, and trophic analysis. Serrivomer beanii abundance and biomass exhibited a decreasing trend along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge from north to south. In terms of size, S. beanii was found to increase as distance from the ridge decreased, suggesting a topographic aggregation strategy. The diet of S. beanii consisted of crustaceans, cephalopods, and teleosts. The trophic results of this study reveal a likely "alternative" trophic pathway in the deep mid-North Atlantic, and perhaps other, bathypelagic ecosystems: higher trophic-level predators are supported by micronektonic invertebrates as primary prey.
Title: Spatial and trophic ecology of the sawtooth eel, Serrivomer beanii, a biomass-dominant bathypelagic fish over the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge.
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Name(s): Geidner, Megan E.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2008
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: ix, 59 p. : ill. (some col.).
Language(s): English
Summary: The role of Serrivomer beanii in bathypelagic food webs is poorly known, but abundance and biomass estimates from the 2004 G.O. Sars MAR-ECO Expedition suggest it to have a high level of importance. MAR-ECO, a Census of Marine Life field project, has allowed us to increase our knowledge of S. beanii through spatial analysis, including the congeneric species Serrivomer lanceolatoides, and trophic analysis. Serrivomer beanii abundance and biomass exhibited a decreasing trend along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge from north to south. In terms of size, S. beanii was found to increase as distance from the ridge decreased, suggesting a topographic aggregation strategy. The diet of S. beanii consisted of crustaceans, cephalopods, and teleosts. The trophic results of this study reveal a likely "alternative" trophic pathway in the deep mid-North Atlantic, and perhaps other, bathypelagic ecosystems: higher trophic-level predators are supported by micronektonic invertebrates as primary prey.
Identifier: 316505287 (oclc), 165941 (digitool), FADT165941 (IID), fau:2823 (fedora)
Note(s): by Megan E. Geidner.
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Plankton -- Atlantic Ocean -- Ecology
Coral reef animals -- Atlantic Ocean -- Ecology
Deep sea biology -- Atlantic Ocean
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/165941
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU