Trophic conditions govern summer zooplankton production variability along the SE Spanish coast (SW Mediterranean).
Authors
Yebra, L. (Lidia); Putzeys, S; Cortés-Delgado, M.D. (María Dolores); Mercado-Carmona, J.M. (Jesús Mariano); Gómez-Jakobsen, F.J. (Francisco José); León, P; Salles, S; Herrera , I. (Inma)Editor's version
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416307892Date
2017-01-17Type
articleKeywords
Zooplankton biomassProduction
Metabolism
Alboran Sea
Abstract
The influence of hydrochemistry and trophic conditions on the coastal zooplankton community metabolic
rates was investigated along the southeastern Spanish coast, from Algeciras to Cartagena.
Zooplankton metabolism was assessed from measurements of gut fluorescence (GF), electron transport
system (ETS) and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARS) activities. Zooplankton had higher biomass specific respiration and growth rates in the Mediterranean stations to the East, driven by warmer
seawater temperatures. However, zooplankton biomass and abundance were significantly higher in the
Alboran Sea and, consequently, the zooplankton community in these coastal waters presented the
highest production rates of the study area and among the highest of the Mediterranean Sea.We observed that summer zooplankton production variability was driven by the trophic conditions rather than by the hydrological variability.