Turnover of trophic markers and lipid carbon in Arctic marine food webs : the contribution of key zooplankton species

Abstract

In the context of climate warming, severe shifts in the phyto- and zooplankton communities, and thus changes in trophic interactions, are expected. It is therefore essential to better understand the lipid and fatty acid turnover in the in the lipid-driven Arctic food web. This study aims at evaluating the role of zooplankton in the transfer of lipids from primary producers to higher trophic levels. It combines field observations and experimental work to fill the gaps of knowledge in the ecology and lipid biochemistry of Arctic zooplankton key species, i.e. the copepods Calanus glacialis, Pseudocalanus minutus and Oithona similis, the thecosome pteropods Limacina helicina and L. retroversa and the gymnosome pteropod Clione limacina.