Progress of Chinese zooplankton ecology research in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

摘要

Zooplankton are considered an important trophic link between primary producers and higher trophic level species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Since 1989, when the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station was built, zooplankton have regularly been sampled and investigated in Prydz Bay through oceanographic surveys of each Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. This review summarizes the main results from zooplankton ecology studies conducted in Prydz Bay by Chinese researchers. Major topics covered in this review are: (1) a description of the biology and ecology of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), the key zooplankton species of the Southern Ocean ecosystem; (2) zooplankton community structure, including the horizontal distribution in the epipelagic region and vertical distribution between 0?1500 m; (3) feeding ecology of dominant species such as Antarctic krill, salps and copepods; (4) a short introduction to the molecular research; and (5) prospects for future research.