Background
As the oceans become warmer, they lose oxygen. Current research shows that declining marine oxygen will result in degraded ecosystems, impacting marine food webs, biological productivity, and the global carbon pump. However, it remains difficult to make wide-ranging predictions due to knowledge gaps of how low-oxygen impacts animal behavior. A better understanding of present-day marine ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling is vital to anticipate and mitigate climate change impacts of declining marine oxygen.
Project description
The student(s) will investigate how low-oxygen conditions impact krill migratory behavior and the carbon cycle in the Oslofjord. Krill spend the night grazing at the surface and then retreat to deeper waters during the day where they expel surface carbon through respiration and fecal pellets. The expansion of deep low-oxygen zones may decrease the depth to which zooplankton migrate, thus reducing their ability to transport carbon to deep waters. We offer two projects: one that will focus on the krill migratory behaviour response to low oxygen and another that will examine the consequences of carbon sequestration.
- The student will analyze patterns in acoustic data to examine the spatial distribution of krill in the Oslofjord under different oxygen conditions. This project can include laboratory incubation experiments, where krill behavior will be examined in a controlled oxygen gradient.
- The student will ascertain how oxygen conditions affect carbon sequestration by measuring changes in krill faecal pellet production in field and laboratory settings and relating these patterns to daily krill migration in the Oslofjord.
The student(s) will use existing datasets and participate in fieldwork in the Oslofjord to collect new data for this project. This research will provide much-needed data to global carbon budget models, which are only now beginning to include animal behavior.
Learning Outcomes
The student(s) will develop both the critical thinking and practical skills necessary to becoming a well-rounded ecologist. In particular, student(s)will become proficient in laboratory and field techniques, acoustic data analysis, statistical methods, and scientific writing. We offer a supportive learning environment where the student will be part of a larger group working on different aspects of pelagic ecology. The project includes cruise opportunities to the Oslofjord to deploy acoustic instruments and collect samples.
If you are interested
Please send us a brief description of yourself and your motivation for this project: josefin.titelman@ibv.uio.no, l.e.wiesebron@ibv.uio.no, svenja.christiansen@ibv.uio.no, j.d.heuschele@ibv.uio.no, or pass by our office.
References:
Borges FO, Sampaio E, Santos CP, Rosa R. Impacts of Low Oxygen on Marine Life: Neglected, but a Crucial Priority for Research. The Biological Bulletin 2022;243:104–19.doi:10.1086/721468.
Kaartvedt S, R?stad A, Titelman J (2021) Sleep walking copepods? Calanus diapausing in hypoxic waters adjust their vertical position during winter. Journal of Plankton Research; 43:199–208.doi:10.1093/plankt/fbab004.
Burd BJ, Thomson RE.A review of zooplankton and deep carbon fixation contributions to carbon cycling in the dark ocean. Journal of Marine Systems 2022;236:103800.doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2022.103800.