2026-10-12T05:26:47Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34022142 2026-09-30T00:50:22Z category_24226 portal_12 item_type_5 month_year_09_2026

Emma McGuigan: Uncovering the Ocean's Hidden Heroes Emma McGuigan (25136126) Mary A. Sewell (290883) Alice Della Penna (9586151) Pablo Escobar Flores (4074835) Joe O'Callaghan (25136155) Ngāti Kuri (25136158) Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira (7514531) Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Zooplankton Communities Rangitāhua Environmental Drivers Subtropical Oceanography <p dir="ltr">Zooplankton are a vital component of marine ecosystems, transferring energy and nutrients between primary producers and higher trophic levels. Despite their ecological importance, zooplankton communities remain poorly understood in many regions, including Rangitāhua, a remote subtropical island within Aotearoa New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. The island and surrounding waters are of significant ecological and cultural importance to Ngāti Kuri, highlighting the need to better understand the processes that sustain this marine ecosystem. Zooplankton were sampled using a multiple net system across 50 m depth strata from 0-300 m at locations varying in distance and direction from the island and across seasons. Concurrent environmental measurements characterised water column conditions, including temperature, salinity, oxygen, and productivity. Preliminary results reveal strong vertical structuring of zooplankton communities, with productivity emerging as a key driver of filter-feeding taxa abundance. This research provides new insights into the environmental drivers shaping zooplankton distributions around Rangitāhua.</p> 2026-09-30T00:50:22Z Image Poster 10.17608/k6.auckland.34022142.v2 https://figshare.com/articles/poster/Uncovering_the_Ocean_s_Hidden_Heroes/34022142 CC BY 4.0