title: Giant larvacean houses: rapid carbon transport to the deep sea floor.
abstract: An unresolved issue in ocean science is the discrepancy between the food requirements of the animals living on the deep sea floor and their food supply, as measured by sediment traps. A 10-year time-series study of the water column off Monterey Bay, California, revealed that the discarded mucus feeding structures of giant larvaceans carry a substantial portion of the upper ocean's productivity to the deep seabed. These abundant, rapidly sinking, carbon-rich vectors are not detected by conventional sampling methods and thus have not been included in calculations of vertical nutrient flux or in oceanic carbon budgets.
authors.affiliation: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA. robr@mbari.org
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Robison
authors.forename: Kim R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Reisenbichler
authors.forename: Rob E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sherlock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D005502:Food; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D014561:Urochordata / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon