The tunicate Salpa thompsoni ecology in the Southern Ocean. II. Proximate and elemental composition

Detailed determination of Salpa thompsoni elemental composition has been carried out on specimens collected in the Eastern Bellingshausen Sea and at the northern edge of the Weddell Gyre during austral autumn (April and May) of 1996 and 2001. More than 170 Antarctic tunicates S. thompsoni were analysed to determine wet weight (WW), dry weight (DW), ash-free dry weight (AFDW) and elemental composition (C, N content, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) of different sizes and stages. Dry weight comprised 6.4% (aggregate form) to 7.7% (solitary form) of the WW. AFDW amounted to ~44% of the DW. Carbon and nitrogen contents (Carbon: 17–22%, Nitrogen: 3–5% of the DW) of both aggregate and solitary forms were found to be high relative to data reported in the literature. Although some unidentified organic compounds are not included in our carbon budget, the findings of this study show higher than previously reported nutritional values of S. thompsoni. In spite of this, a shift from a krill-dominated towards a salp-dominated ecosystem would have dramatic consequences for organisms at higher trophic levels.