Spatio-temporal variability of the zooplankton community in the SW Mediterranean 1992–2020: Linkages with environmental drivers

Variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of the mesozooplankton abundance in the N Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean) was assessed intermittently from 2010 to 2020, and compared with 1992–2000 historical time series data. Total abundance of mesozooplankton was significantly higher in the coa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yebra, Lidia, Puerto, Marta, Valcárcel-Pérez, Nerea, Putzeys, Sébastien, Gómez-Jakobsen, Francisco José, García-Gómez, Candela, Mercado-Carmona, Jesús Mariano
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/320206
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/320206
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102782
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga
Medio Marino
Alboran Sea
Mesozooplankton abundance
SW Mediterranean
Taxonomic composition
Zooplankton time series
zooplankton
oceanography
variability
Descripción
Sumario:Variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of the mesozooplankton abundance in the N Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean) was assessed intermittently from 2010 to 2020, and compared with 1992–2000 historical time series data. Total abundance of mesozooplankton was significantly higher in the coast than in the shelf and slope waters. There were significant differences in mesozooplankton abundance between 1992–2000 and 2010–2020 at the three zones. Copepods dominated the mesozooplankton during winter and spring, but cladocerans and doliolids also became important components of the community in summer and autumn. We found significant increases between the first and the second decadal periods in the abundance of copepods, appendicularians, holoplanktonic gastropods and siphonophores in the shelf. However, in the coast, copepod nauplii, doliolids, gastropods and siphonophores increased, while euphausiids abundance decreased significantly. These trends contrast with the ongoing decline of the sardine stocks in European waters. Increasing temperature and decreasing predation pressure are suggested to be the main drivers of mesozooplankton variability.