Description: |
Copepod faecal pellets (FP) are carbon-rich particles possibly of great importance for the biological pump. However, most FP are degraded within the euphotic zone, by processes not yet fully understood. In a series of experiments conducted in Gullmarsfjorden, Sweden, researchers investigated degradation rates (r, d-1) of large copepod FP (average length and width: 466 × 62 µm) exposed to the following treatments: (1) a natural assemblage of dinoflagellates (96 µg C l-1), (2) the copepod Centropages hamatus (10 copepods l-1) and (3) a combination of the 2 treatments. FP incubated in filtered seawater served as a control and a measure of degradation by pellet-associated bacteria. [Source: Marine Ecology Progress Series]
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