The Role of Appendicularians in Southern Ocean Carbon Flow and Trophodynamics

Data acquisition: Samples were collected using a 1.5 metre diameter Ring net (150 micron metre mesh) with a wide cod-end on the base (volume approximately 40 Litres). Vertical trawls were to 20 m (unless otherwise specified). Deployment speed was determined by wave conditions with hauling speed at slowest possible speed available by the gantry (approximately than 2 meters per second). The net was rinsed with sea water before the cod-end was removed and the contents determined by observing a sub-sample under the light microscope. Appendicualrians were separated and preserved while the remaining contents of the cod-end were sieved through 120 micrometre mesh and preserved to be sorted more accurately on return to the laboratories. The appendicularians were quantified and sorted under light microscopes with additional randomly selected individuals being prepared for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging to enable identification to species level and some Oikopleura gaussica stomach's where dissected for SEM dietary analysis. Data processing: Data are being processed using 'statistica 6' (and possibly PRIMER or PATN) to determine correlations with physical parameters obtained from underway data, the CTD and the microbial biologist. Dataset Format: Database is an excel spreadsheet Parameters: Leg - identification number of southern bound legs Event number - deployment number Station - leg number . sample point number CTD - number of corresponding CTD (conductivity, Temperature Depth sample point) Date - date/month/year Time (UTC) Latitude Longitude NET (mesh (micro meters) type) - Net type and mesh size in micro meters (150) DEPTH (m) - vertical trawl depth # APPENDICULARIANS - count of appendicularians from ship and laboratory based sorting Fritiliaria drygalski - count of Fritillaridae's from ship and laboratory based sorting Oiklopleura gaussica - count of Oikopleuridae's from ship and laboratory based sorting Alive - count of live appendicularians from ship based sorting SEM IMAGE - individual appendicularians and/or O. gaussica stomach SEM images have been taken SEM Stub number - stub number that is first two numbers of SEM images SAMPLE TYPE - BARCODE Zooplankton - cod-end contents sieved and preserved Appendicularians - sorted from cod-end Live - live appendicularians (now preserved) Other 1- samples that did not fit in to the above categories or additional samples for station Other 2- additional samples for station that did not fit in to the above categories This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 2655 and 2679 (ASAC_2655, ASAC_2679).