The structure of zooplankton communities, in the 2 to 2000 μm size range, in the Arabian Sea during and after the SW monsoon, 1994

Abstract

Zooplankton communities, studied in the surface mixed layer on a 1600 m transect across the Arabian Sea, were found to differ in their temporal and spatial response to seasonal forcing. The transect studied, spanned seasonally eutrophic upwelling, mesotrophic downwelling and aseasonal oligotrophic waters. The nano- and microzooplankton communities constituted a relatively constant compartment in the tropical monsoon ecosystem, whilst the mesozooplankton showed a clear response to both upwelling and season. The heterotrophic nanoflagellates were concentrated in the surface mixed layer, except in the eutrophic upwelling waters of the SW monsoon. They reached maximum cell concentrations of 855 ml -1 during the SW monsoon and a maximum biomass of 8.4 mg C m -3 during the intermonsoon. Nanozooplankton standing stocks, in the surface mixed layer, ranged between 7 and 333 mg C m -2, with highest stocks found during the intermonsoon. The microzooplankton community was dominated by Protozoa, particularly aloricate ciliates and heterotrophic dinoflagellates, which accounted for up to 99% in terms of numbers and up to 71% of the biomass. Sarcodines and metazoan nauplii were recorded in lower numbers (<400 l -1). The microzooplankton were also concentrated in the surface mixed layer during both periods, except in the eutrophic coastal waters during the SW monsoon, when relatively high biomass values were found below the mixed layer depth. Their standing stocks, in the surface mixed layer, ranged between 50 and 182 mg C m -2, with the highest concentration found in the mesotrophic offshore waters during the late monsoon period. Total mesozooplankton standing stocks, in the surface 100 m, decreased with distance from the coastal to offshore waters and between seasons, decreasing from 1248 to 238 mg C m -2 during the late SW monsoon and 656–89 mg C m -2 during the following intermonsoon. The largest size class, of 1000–2000 μm sized organisms, dominated throughout except at the oligotrophic station during the intermonsoon period, when the smallest class, of 200–500 μm, were more important. The shift in size structure from large to small zooplankton occurred in response to a shift in dominance from large to small phytoplankton cells both spatially, along a eutrophic–oligotrophic gradient, and seasonally. These responses are a result of the physical forcing associated with the monsoon seasons in the Arabian Sea.