of, relating to, or inhabiting the intermediate depths of the ocean between approximately 100 and 1000 metres
mesopelagic in American English
(ˌmezəpəˈlædʒɪk, ˌmes-, ˌmizə-, -sə-)
adjective
Geography
of, pertaining to, or living in the ocean at a depth of between 600 ft. (180 m) and3000 ft. (900 m)
Word origin
[1945–50; meso- + pelagic]This word is first recorded in the period 1945–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: beeper, fail-safe, on-line, regression analysis, shootoutmeso- is a combining form meaning “middle,” used in the formation of compound words. Otherwords that use the affix meso- include: Mesozoic, mesoblast, mesopause, mesosphere, mesothorax
Examples of 'mesopelagic' in a sentence
mesopelagic
Larvae were classified according the adult habitat as reef, epipelagic or mesopelagic.
Luana Stocco, Jean-Christophe Joyeux 2015, 'Distribution of fish larvae on the Vitória-Trindade Chain, southwestern Atlantic',Check Listhttps://checklist.pensoft.net/article/19188/download/pdf/. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The upper mesopelagic layer exhibited greater microbial diversity and richness compared to surface waters.
Andrian P. Gajigan, Aletta T. Yñiguez, Cesar L. Villanoy, Maria Lourdes San Diego-McGlone,Gil S. Jacinto, Cecilia Conaco 2018, 'Diversity and community structure of marine microbes around the Benham Rise underwaterplateau, northeastern Philippines', PeerJhttps://peerj.com/articles/4781.pdf. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Communities were structured vertically, with a succession from euphotic, mesopelagic, and bathylopelagic populations.
Alexander eEiler, Alexander eEiler, Darin H. Hayakawa, Darin H. Hayakawa, MichaelS. Rappé 2011, 'Non-random assembly of bacterioplankton communities in the subtropical North PacificOcean', Frontiers in Microbiologyhttp://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2011.00140/full. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
In the mesopelagic and bathypelagic layers, only nanoplankton predation on heterotrophic prokaryotes was investigated.
Luca Zoccarato, Anna Malusà, Serena Fonda Umani 2016, 'Major contribution of prokaryotes to carbon fluxes in the pelagic microbial food websof the Mediterranean Sea', Advances in Oceanography and Limnologyhttp://pagepressjournals.org/index.php/aiol/article/view/5799. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Recent studies show evidence of higher than expected grazing activity by protists down to mesopelagic depths.
Emma Rocke, Maria G Pachiadaki, Alec Cobban, Elizabeth B Kujawinski, Virginia P Edgcomb 2015, 'Protist Community Grazing on Prokaryotic Prey in Deep Ocean Water Masses.', PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4404134?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
This minimization could be accomplished by delivering dewatering discharge well below the mesopelagic/bathypelagic transition (below ~1000 m depth).
Jeffrey Drazen, Craig Smith, Kristina Gjerde, Whitlow Au, Jesse Black, Glenn Carter,Malcolm Clark, Jennifer Durden, Pierre Dutrieux, Erica Goetze, Steven Haddock, MarikoHatta, Chris Hauton, Paul Hill, Julian Koslow, Astrid Leitner, Chris Measures, AudePacini, Frank Parrish, Thomas Peacock, Jessica Perelman, Tracey Sutton, Celine Taymans,Verena Tunnicliffe, Les Watling, Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Emily Young, Amanda Ziegler 2019, 'Report of the workshop Evaluating the nature of midwater mining plumes and their potentialeffects on midwater ecosystems', Research Ideas and Outcomeshttps://riojournal.com/article/33527/. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Moreover, mesopelagic organic matter utilization processes showed an intermediateposition between surface and deep benthic components.
Samuele Tecchio, Dick van Oevelen, Karline Soetaert, Joan Navarro, Eva Ramírez-Llodra 2013, 'Trophic Dynamics of Deep-Sea Megabenthos Are Mediated by Surface Productivity', PLoS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0063796. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
In addition to expected nightly vertical habitat use, the shark exhibited frequent mesopelagic excursions during daytime.
Julia L. Y. Spaet, Chi Hin Lam, Camrin D. Braun, Michael L. Berumen 2017, 'Extensive use of mesopelagic waters by a Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini)in the Red Sea', Animal Biotelemetryhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40317-017-0135-x. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)