Zooplankton community structure and dynamics in the Arctic Canada Basin during a period of intense environmental change (2004-2009)

Mesozooplankton were sampled in the Canada Basin in the summers of 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and fall 2009. Six taxa (Calanus hyperboreus, Calanus glacialis, Oithona similis, Limacina helicina, Microcalanus pygmaeus, and Pseudocalanus spp.) accounted for 77-91% of the abundance in all years, and 70-80% of biomass in 2004-2008. The biomass of C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis was reduced in 2009, likely due to seasonal migration below the sampling depth. Mean abundance was consistent across surveys while biomass increased from 18.92 to 32.56 mg dry weight m(-3) between 2004 and 2008. Multivariate analysis identified a clear separation between shelf and deep basin (>1000 m) assemblages. Within the deep basin abundance and biomass were higher in the west, associated with a higher chlorophyll maximum. In 2007 and 2008 considerable heterogeneity developed in the assemblage structure, associated with variability in the contribution of the short-lived (<1 year) copepod species O. similis and M. pygmaeus. Conversely, the long lived (2 years) C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis showed an increasingly consistent spatial distribution of high biomass from 2004 to 2008. We propose that a greater dependence on autochthonous basin production by the short-lived species resulted in their decreased secondary production in the freshening Beaufort Gyre in 2007 and 2008. Conversely, long-lived species were supported by high allochthonous production on the Beaufort and Chukchi shelves and lipid stores accumulated from this source enabled them to persist in the low chlorophyll a biomass conditions of the Canada Basin. Key Points Mesoscale distribution of Arctic zooplankton communities Climate change impacts on Arctic zooplankton Allochthonous versus autochthonous production in the Canada Basin