Ocean-wide comparisons of mesopelagic planktonic community structures.

ABSTRACT: For decades, marine plankton have been investigated for their capacity to modulate biogeochemical cycles and provide fishery resources. Between the sunlit (epipelagic) layer and the deep dark waters, lies a vast and heterogeneous part of the ocean: the mesopelagic zone. How plankton composition is shaped by environment has been well-explored in the epipelagic but much less in the mesopelagic ocean. Here, we conducted comparative analyses of trans-kingdom community assemblages thriving in the mesopelagic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), mesopelagic oxic, and their epipelagic counterparts. We identified nine distinct types of intermediate water masses that correlate with variation in mesopelagic community composition. Furthermore, oxygen, NO₃^- and particle flux together appea

SUBMITTER: Rigonato J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10439195 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature