2016 SoE Marine Chapter - State and Trends - Secondary production (zooplankton)

Brief description

The Marine chapter of the 2016 State of the Environment (SoE) report incorporates multiple expert templates developed from streams of marine data. This metadata record describes the Expert Assessment "The state and trends of ecological processes – secondary production (zooplankton)". The full Expert Assessment, including figures and tables (where provided), is attached to this record. Where available, the Data Stream(s) used to generate this Expert Assessment are accessible through the "On-line Resources" section of this record. ---------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION OF ECOLOGICAL PROCESS FOR EXPERT ASSESSMENT Secondary production in the ocean is the generation of biomass by zooplankton – the primary consumers of phytoplankton. The most common zooplankton, the copepods, are the most abundant animals on Earth, even outnumbering insects. Zooplankton are important components of the biological pump, shunting carbon from the surface to the deep ocean through sinking of faeces or dead carcasses. The recruitment of fish stocks and the carrying capacity of marine ecosystems – the mass of fish, squid and shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds and sea turtles) – is related to secondary production. Productivity hotspots (e.g. Eden and Bonney upwelling zones) have high densities of zooplankton, sustaining fish and whales alike. DATA STREAM(S) USED IN EXPERT ASSESSMENT IMOS plankton data – both from the National Reference Stations and the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey. ---------------------------------------- 2016 SOE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY [see attached Expert Assessment for full details] • 2016 • Assessment grade: Very good Assessment trend: Stable Confidence grade: Limited evidence or limited consensus Confidence trend: Limited evidence or limited consensus Comparability: Not previously assessed • 2011 • (not previously assessed) ---------------------------------------- CHANGES SINCE 2011 SOE ASSESSMENT Not previously assessed.

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Statement: QUALITY OF DATA USED IN THE ASSESSMENT Best available.

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Purpose
To describe the state and trends in secondary productivity for use in the Marine chapter of the 2016 State of the Environment report.