Copepod-associated microbial metacommunities reflect spatial gradients in the surface ocean
We sampled epipelagic mesozooplankton in 16 sites from the Tyrrhenian to the Levantine regions and surface seawater from corresponding depths. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) obtained from dominant copepod taxa (Oncaea, Farranula and Clausocalanus spp.) to characterize the copepod-associated microbial (CAMC) and surface seawater (SMC) metacommunities.