Biodiversity and ecosystem function in the Gulf of Maine: pattern and role of zooplankton and pelagic nekton.

ABSTRACT: This paper forms part of a broader overview of biodiversity of marine life in the Gulf of Maine area (GoMA), facilitated by the GoMA Census of Marine Life program. It synthesizes current data on species diversity of zooplankton and pelagic nekton, including compilation of observed species and descriptions of seasonal, regional and cross-shelf diversity patterns. Zooplankton diversity in the GoMA is characterized by spatial differences in community composition among the neritic environment, the coastal shelf, and deep offshore waters. Copepod diversity increased with depth on the Scotian Shelf. On the coastal shelf of the western Gulf of Maine, the number of higher-level taxonomic groups declined with distance from shore, reflecting more nearshore meroplankton. Copepod diversity increased i

SUBMITTER: Johnson CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3031589 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature