The larger pelagic crustacean fauna of the Gully submarine canyon is described for the first time, based on three annual summer surveys. The larger Crustacea are a significant part of the Gully fauna, and are dominated by cold temperate species, in particular the northern krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica and the decapod Sergestes arcticus. In all, at least 69 species were collected from the surface to bathypelagic depths, with seventeen being new Canadian records. With the exception of M. norvegica, inter-annual variation in the dominant species was minor. The species assemblage varied primarily with depth surveyed and diel cycle, and not year. Comparing the larger pelagic crustaceans in the Gully and over the adjacent continental slope showed that overall species number, biomass, and abundance were all greater in the canyon, the biomass of S. arcticus particularly showing a positive “Gully effect”.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:NSHD.ca#10222/14245 |
| Date | 22 August 2011 |
| Creators | MacIsaac, Kevin Gregory |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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