Contact Information
Institute of Marine Science120 O'Neill
P.O. Box 757220
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
Phone: (907) 474-7842
Fax: (907) 474-7204
hopcroft@ims.uaf.edu
Russell Hopcroft Associate Professor
Affiliations
- Adjunct, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
Specialties
- zooplankton ecology
- trophodynamics
- midwater ecology
Courses
Fall 2008
- Biological Oceanography (MSL F650)
- Sem: Bio. Ocean (MSL F692AA)
Research Overview
My primary interests focus on the composition, production and energy flow of pelagic ecosystems. More simply, my research explores the questions "How do planktonic communities work?", "How much energy do they process?", and "Who's really important?"
Present research efforts are often focused on determining the rates of growth and egg production for the dominant zooplankton, such as in the Gulf of Alaska within the Northeast Pacific GLOBEC program. This effort targetted copepod and euphausiid crustaceans. The project involved both shipboard and laboratory rearing of animals. The ultimate purpose of this research is to establish the rates of secondary production for this region. In conjunction with the long-term observation program funded originally by NSF and continuing through NPRB, the goal is to establish the producution of the more dominant zooplankton species on fisheries production, and how this varies from year to year.
I also work in the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. With NOAA's Ocean Exploration program an ROV was used in conjunction with specialized plankton nets to explore the more fragile gelatinous plankton in the western Arctic in 2002 and 2005. I continue to be involved in the joint US/Russian cruise in the Chukchi Sea north of Bering Strait. In the Winter 2008 I've begun my first Antarctic research.
I am actively involved in the Census of Marine Life through steering committees of the Arctic Ocean Diversity project (ArcOD), the Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ), and the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML). Image of live zooplankton collected on these activities are widely distributed. All these activities contribute to ongoing efforts for molecular barcoding of all zooplankton species globally.
I also maintain active research on:
- Tropical plankton communities
- Community size structure
- Pelagic tunicates, specifically larvaceans (also known as appendicularians) >
- Pelagic snails (pteropods and heteropods)
Current Research Projects
- GLOBEC GOA - Lower Trophic Level Synthesis
- Arctic Ocean Biodiversity (ArcOD)
- RUSALCA
- Seward Line Long-term Observation Program
Links
- MBARI
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute - Download curriculum vita (101 kb PDF)
Hopcroft in the news
2005 NOAA Ocean Exploration of the Hidden Ocean
Read about the expedition that discovered a new species in the Arctic Ocean.
2002 NOAA Ocean Exploration expedition of the Arctic Ocean's Canada Basin
Read the National Geographic article and see photos of the expedition online.
The Hidden Ocean and Jello Plankton
Features from the Alaska Sea Grant Arctic Science Journeys, about the Ocean Exploration cruise to the Arctic Ocean.
The Hidden Ocean: Explorations under the ice of the Western Arctic
An expedition to explore the midwater fauna using the Global Surveyor ROV
Drifting houses in the Gulf Stream
An expedition with the Johnson Sea-Link Submersible to study midwater larvaceans.
The house that snot built
A feature from the Alaska Sea Grant Arctic Science Journeys, about larvaceans in marine ecosystems.
Selected Publications
Hopcroft, R.R., C. Clarke, A.G. Byrd & A.I. Pinchuk (2005) The paradox of Metridia spp. egg production rates: A new technique and measurements from the coastal Gulf of Alaska. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 286: 193-201.
Hopcroft, R.R., C. Clarke, R.J. Nelson, & K.A. Raskoff (2005) Zooplankton Communities of the Arctic's Canada Basin: the contribution by smaller taxa. Polar Biol. 28: 197-206.
Hopcroft, R.R. (2004) Diversity in larvaceans: How many species? In: Response of marine ecosystems to global change: ecological impact of appendicularians. Gorsky, M.J. Youngbluth & D. Deibel (eds), NATO scientific Series. Gordon Scientific Publishers, pp. 45-57.
Hopcroft, R.R., C. Clarke & F.P. Chavez. 2002. Copepod communities in Monterey Bay during the 1997 to 1999 El Niño and La Niña. Prog. Oceanogr. 54:251-263. [PDF]
Weingartner, T.J. et al. (R.R. Hopcroft among 18 others) 2002. The Northeast Pacific GLOBEC program: coastal Gulf of Alaska. Oceanography 15:48-63. [PDF]
Nielsen, T.G., E.F. Møller, S. Satapoomin, M. Ringuette & R.R. Hopcroft. 2002. Egg hatching rate of the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis in arctic and temperate waters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 236:301-306. [PDF]
Hopcroft, R.R., F.P. Chavez & J.C. Roff. 2001. Size paradigms in copepod communities: a re-examination. Hydrobiologia 453/454:133-141 [PDF]
Hopcroft, R.R., & J.C. Roff. 1998. Zooplankton growth rates: the influence of female size and resources on egg production of tropical marine copepods. Mar. Biol. 132: 79-86. [PDF]
Hopcroft, R.R., & J.C. Roff. 1998. Production of tropical larvaceans in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica: are we ignoring an important secondary producer? J. Plankton Res. 20: 557-569.
Hopcroft, R.R., J.C. Roff. & H.A. Bouman. 1998. Zooplankton growth rates: larvaceans of the genus Appendicularia, Fritillaria and Oikopleura from tropical waters. J. Plankton Res. 20: 539-555.
Hopcroft, R.R., J.C. Roff & D. Lombard. 1998. Production of tropical copepods in nearshore waters off Kingston, Jamaica: the importance of small species. Mar. Biol. 130: 593-604. [PDF]
Hopcroft, R.R., J.C. Roff, M.K. Webber, & J.D.S. Witt. 1998. Zooplankton Growth Rates: the influence of size and resources in tropical marine copepodites. Mar. Biol. 132: 67-77. [PDF]