Surface patterns of zooplankton spatial variability detected by high frequency sampling in the NW Mediterranean. Role of density fronts

High frequency sampling was performed in daylight hours along a 35 km transect in the Ligurian Sea to investigate the upper layer zooplankton distribution during the spring phytoplankton bloom. The results show detailed spatial structure and biomass of key zooplankton functional groups, copepods, salps and krill larvae, within the different water masses characterizing this region. Although observed values of total copepod biomass distribution were rather constant along the transect, species-specific patterns were observed in the copepod spatial distribution. The larger species Calanus helgolandicus, as well as Centropages typicus, Oithona spp., and Oncaea spp., were associated with the frontal zone. However, Acartia spp. had a scattered distribution, and Clausocalanus/Paracalanus did not have a clear pattern. In addition, krill larvae were concentrated in the frontal area and salps had a scattered pattern. The cross-shore zooplankton distribution appeared strongly influenced by both the Northern Ligurian current governing inshore waters, which acts as a major flushing forcing, and the Ligurian front, which governs offshore waters and may act as retention area for zooplankton.     

Intermittent turbulence and copepod dynamics: Increase in encounter rates through preferential concentration

Turbulence has a strong influence on plankton contact rate, which is a crucial parameter for plankton ecology. In the field of particle-turbulence interactions, it is now well known that fully developed turbulence does not always homogenise particle distributions, but instead creates, in some well-defined conditions, preferential concentrations of heavy particles. Many studies have considered the influence of this type of preferential concentration on particle contact rate. We consider here the possible application of these results to copepods, assuming that some results obtained for heavy particles are still valid for light particles. Using parameter values representative of copepod species in coastal waters and open ocean, we numerically estimate the possible enhancement of copepod contact rates due to the preferential concentration by turbulence. The assessment is done by using data from a laboratory experiment: we find from the trajectory analysis of small neutrally buoyant particles, that the preferential concentration effect increases the contact rate up to 140%. We argue that this effect may be more pronounced for higher Reynolds numbers, and may have important ecological applications.     

Seasonal carbon distribution of copepods in the eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Copepods were sampled by a multiple opening-closing net in the eastern Weddell Sea during various seasons (late winter/early spring, summer, autumn). Total copepod biomass integrated over the upper 1000 m varied seasonally between 1.7 mg C m⁻³ in late winter/early spring and 3.7 mg C m⁻³ in autumn. After the dark season the copepods were rather evenly distributed vertically and highest biomass levels were found in the mid-water layers between about 200 m and 500 m. By contrast, especially in summer but also in autumn copepod biomass concentrated in the uppermost water layer. A total of 64 calanoid species were identified in the upper 1000 m with maximum species numbers in the deepest layer. The large calanoids Calanus propinquus, Calanoides acutus, Metridia gerlachei, Euchaeta antarctica and the small calanoid Microcalanus pygmaeus prevailed and accounted for 60–70% of total copepod biomass, while the small poecilostomatoid Oncaea and the cyclopoid Oithona species comprised about 20%. Hence, the distribution pattern of the entire copepod biomass is strongly influenced by the life cycles of a few dominant species.     

Symbolic dynamics and entropies of copepod behaviour under non-turbulent and turbulent conditions

We consider here behavioural activity of copepods as a succession of symbols associated with swimming states: slow swimming, fast swimming, break and grooming. We characterise these symbolic sequences using tools from symbolic dynamics: probability density function of the residence times in each state; transition probability at each time step; Shannon entropy and dynamic entropy. This approach is applied to the swimming behaviour of Centropages hamatus which we have analyzed as an example of application, in order to stress the differences associated with turbulent and non-turbulent conditions. We characterise in this theoretical framework the behavioural changes exhibited by the copepod under turbulent conditions.