Broad impacts of fine-scale dynamics on seascape structure from zooplankton to seabirds

Arnaud Bertrand (), Daniel Grados, François Colas, Sophie Bertrand, Xavier Capet, Alexis Chaigneau, Gary Vargas, Alexandre Mousseigne and Ronan Fablet
Additional contact information
Arnaud Bertrand: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR212 EME IFREMER/IRD/UM2
Daniel Grados: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR212 EME IFREMER/IRD/UM2
François Colas: IRD-CNRS-Sorbonne Universités (UPMC Univ. Paris 6)-MNHN, LOCEAN/IPSL Laboratory
Sophie Bertrand: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR212 EME IFREMER/IRD/UM2
Xavier Capet: IRD-CNRS-Sorbonne Universités (UPMC Univ. Paris 6)-MNHN, LOCEAN/IPSL Laboratory
Alexis Chaigneau: IRD, UMR LEGOS, CNES/CNRS/IRD/UPS
Gary Vargas: Instituto del Mar del Perú, Esquina Gamarra y Gral, Valle s/n
Alexandre Mousseigne: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR212 EME IFREMER/IRD/UM2
Ronan Fablet: TELECOM Bretagne, UMR CNRS-3192-Lab-STICC

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract In marine ecosystems, like most natural systems, patchiness is the rule. A characteristic of pelagic ecosystems is that their ‘substrate’ consists of constantly moving water masses, where ocean surface turbulence creates ephemeral oases. Identifying where and when hotspots occur and how predators manage those vagaries in their preyscape is challenging because wide-ranging observations are lacking. Here we use a unique data set, gathering high-resolution and wide-range acoustic and GPS-tracking data. We show that the upper ocean dynamics at scales less than 10 km play the foremost role in shaping the seascape from zooplankton to seabirds. Short internal waves (100 m–1 km) play a major role, while submesoscale (~1–20 km) and mesoscale (~20–100 km) turbulence have a comparatively modest effect. Predicted changes in surface stratification due to global change are expected to have an impact on the number and intensity of physical structures and thus biological interactions from plankton to top predators.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6239

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