Annual cycle of lipid content and lipid class composition in zooplankton from the Beaufort Sea shelf, Canadian Arctic

We determined seasonal cycles of lipid content, lipid class composition, and carbon and nitrogen content of 7 taxa of zooplankton that were collected from the Beaufort Sea shelf, Canadian Arctic, over a 10 month period (September 2003 – August 2004). All taxa except the chaetognath Parasagitta elegans had substantial lipids stores (>50%), either seasonally (Oikopleura spp.), or throughout the year (Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacilias, Paraeuchaeta glacialis, Metridia longa, and Eukrohnia hamata). Wax esters were the dominant lipid class in the chaetognath E. hamata and in all copepods, including the carnivore P. glacialis. Seasonal trends in lipid content and composition varied among taxa; some taxa had little variation from winter through summer (e.g. P. elegans), other taxa showed little variation until summer (e.g. C. glacialis), and others showed increasing or decreasing trends during winter and spring (e.g. C. hyperboreus). Specifically, total lipid content of C. hyperboreus decreased from January through May at a rate of ~450 µg month-1 ind-1 in adult females, and ~100 µg month-1 ind-1 in juvenile copepodite IV, representing a 75-85% loss in lipid.

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