Elan Portner is studying the dynamics of marine populations (middle of
open ocean food webs) and marine ecosystem dynamics.
Almost all large oceanic predators consume micronekton (pelagic or open
ocean animals that swim freely, independent of water motion or wind), such
as plankton. Many of these predators are fished commercially or are federally
protected. As these predators compete to feed on micronekton at differential
oceanic depths and different times of the day, competition is reduced. Micronekton
consume carbon-rich near the ocean surface by night, releasing waste deeper in the
ocean by day thereby pumping carbon into oceanic depths. Thus more carbon can be
absorbed from the athmosphere.
Elan Portner is developing cost-effective methods to study the response to environmental
variation of communities of micronekton, and how these responses might affect oceanic
predators. Specifically, as the longnose lancetfish digest the micronekton ingested very
slowly, the micronekton can be used to measure micronekton distribution dynamically.
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