title: Large mesopelagic fishes biomass and trophic efficiency in the open ocean.
abstract: With a current estimate of ~1,000 million tons, mesopelagic fishes likely dominate the world total fishes biomass. However, recent acoustic observations show that mesopelagic fishes biomass could be significantly larger than the current estimate. Here we combine modelling and a sensitivity analysis of the acoustic observations from the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition to show that the previous estimate needs to be revised to at least one order of magnitude higher. We show that there is a close relationship between the open ocean fishes biomass and primary production, and that the energy transfer efficiency from phytoplankton to mesopelagic fishes in the open ocean is higher than what is typically assumed. Our results indicate that the role of mesopelagic fishes in oceanic ecosystems and global ocean biogeochemical cycles needs to be revised as they may be respiring ~10% of the primary production in deep waters.
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Xabier
authors: X
authors: Irigoien
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Klevjer
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Røstad
authors: AZTI, Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia Portualdea, 20110 Pasaia, Spain.
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Martinez
authors: AZTI, Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia Portualdea, 20110 Pasaia, Spain.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Boyra
authors: Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, Sin Número, 33071 Oviedo, Spain.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Acuña
authors: Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo 130, E15080 A Coruña, Spain.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bode
authors: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR), E-11510 Puerto Real, Spain.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Echevarria
authors: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR), E-11510 Puerto Real, Spain.
authors: J I
authors: JI
authors: Gonzalez-Gordillo
authors: Institute of Oceanography and Global Change, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus Universitario de Tafira, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Canary Islands, Spain.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Hernandez-Leon
authors: 1] The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia [2] Department of Global Change Research, IMEDEA (UIB-CSIC), Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Esporles 07190, Spain.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Agusti
authors: Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen N-5020, Norway.
authors: D L
authors: DL
authors: Aksnes
authors: 1] The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia [2] Department of Global Change Research, IMEDEA (UIB-CSIC), Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Esporles 07190, Spain.
authors: C M
authors: CM
authors: Duarte
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kaartvedt
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010839:Phytoplankton