ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES IN THE SAN JUAN CHANNEL
Abstract
The
San
Juan
Channel
is
a
transitional
area
between
marine
and
freshwater
environments
that
influences
the
distribution,
abundance
and
community
composition
of
zooplankton.
Zooplankton
communities
are
highly
variable
seasonally
and
interannually
due
to
the
complexity
of
physical
oceanography
in
the
region.
During
the
fall
season
in
2011,
tidal
regimes
that
characterize
this
estuarine
environment
appeared
to
spatially
influence
highly
abundant
Calanoid
copepods
and
copepod
nauplii.
The
results
of
this
study
suggest
that
tidal
forcing
exhibits
a
significant
influence
Calanoid
copepods
and
copepod
nauplii
in
the
San
Juan
Channel,
where
spring
flood
tides
influenced
the
Northern
region
and
neap
flood
tides
influenced
the
Southern
region
at
depth.
Spatial
variation
in
the
distribution
of
juvenile
and
adult
copepods
between
these
regions
may
be
explained
by
behavioral
patterns
in
copepod
diapause,
while
depth
variation
in
the
Southern
region
may
be
driven
by
behavioral
patterns
in
diel
vertical
migration.
These
investigations
may
begin
to
enhance
our
understanding
of
the
relative
life
history
stages
of
copepods
as
an
influence
on
their
distribution
and
abundance
in
the
San
Juan
Channel.