title: Metazooplankton communities in the Ahe atoll lagoon (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia): spatiotemporal variations and trophic relationships.
abstract: Metazooplankton abundance, biomass (<80 μm, 200-500 μm and >500 μm) and community structure in the Ahe atoll were studied together with their relationships with environmental factors (temperature, salinity, wind) and trophic factors (phytoplankton, bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and ciliates) during three periods in 2008-2009. Meroplankton, mainly bivalve and gastropod larvae, was dominant. Holoplankton was dominated by copepods, the main species being Oithona spp., Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus spp., Corycaeus spp., Acartia fossae and Undinula vulgaris. The results suggest a clear wind influence on the structure and horizontal distribution of the zooplankton communities. The metazooplankton appeared to be controlled mainly by food resources, suggesting a bottom-up control. The low nanophytoplankton biomass in contrast to the high abundance of picophytoplankton, HNF and nano-particle grazers (mainly Oithona spp., Paracalanus and bivalve larvae) highlighted the importance of the microbial loop in the food web.
authors.affiliation: Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), IRD, UMR 235, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France. marc.pagano@univmed.fr
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.forename: Pascual-Boi
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Sagarra
authors.forename: Gisèle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Champalbert
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouvy
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dupuy
authors.forename: Yoann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charpy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049911:Pinctada; D011114:Polynesia; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development