Morphometric Measurements of Antarctic Prawns from Ellis Fjord

Prawns (Chorismus antarcticus) caught by mesh traps at the Vestfold Hills provides morphometric data on a Weddell seal prey species. The dataset contains measurements of length, mass, carapace length, and sex for approximately 50 prawns collected in Ellis Fjord in December 1999. Data was collected by the Australian Antarctic Division (AU_AADC) as part of a project to compile information on seal prey.

Use Cases

• Model body mass from carapace length using the provided linear regression (y = 0.3529x - 2.4824) and validate it on the `mass (g)` and `carapace length (mm)` columns.
• Analyze size and sex distribution within the catch by examining the `body length (mm)`, `mass (g)`, and `sex` columns for the approximately 50 specimens.
• Study reproductive biology by identifying brooding adult females, a condition noted in the data linked to the `sex` column.
• Compare morphometric relationships, such as body length to carapace length, using the provided regression (y = 3.5267x + 4.5846) and the corresponding dataset columns.

Strengths

• Dataset includes derived predictive models with high R-squared values (0.9504 and 0.9544) for mass and length from carapace length.
• Measurements are specific and include key morphometric variables: carapace length, body length, mass, and sex.
• Collection methodology is documented, specifying the use of mesh traps at a defined location (200 m east of Ellis Narrows).

Limitations

• Small sample size of approximately 50 individual prawns limits statistical power for broad population inferences.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to a single location (Ellis Fjord) within the Vestfold Hills, collected over three days in December 1999.
• Data includes only one species (Chorismus antarcticus), though the study notes another prey species (Notocrangon antarcticus) was present.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Division (AU_AADC), accessed via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Prawns were collected using mesh traps deployed in Ellis Fjord; morphological measurements were taken from the frozen catch.

Time Range

December 1999.

Freshness

null

Geography

Ellis Fjord, Vestfold Hills, Antarctica.