The Role of Krill in the Food Web RESCHEDULED TO 1.30.18

RESCHEDULED TO 1.30.18

Dr. Baldo Marinovic, a research biologist at Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz studies zooplankton ecology and the dynamics of ocean food webs. MS Marine sciences UCSC, PhD Zoology University Western Australia.

Since 1997, he has been conducting surveys in Monterey Bay to understand what determines the distribution, abundance, and species composition of krill, tiny shrimp-like invertebrates that are a crucial link in the Bay’s food web.

Krill are zooplankton invertebrates that travel in huge swarms in the oceans all over the world. These swarms sometimes reaching densities they can turn the surface of the ocean pinkish-red.

Krill are an important food source for many species of fish and seabirds, as well as for the Bay’s largest visitors, the majestic blue, fin, and humpback whales.

Marinovic’s research has led to a better understanding of what makes Monterey Bay such a productive and biologically rich ecosystem.