Short-term variation of zooplankton community in Cintra Bay (Northwest Africa)

Summary: This is the first study that describes the spatial-temporal distributions of the zooplankton community and potential control factors in Cintra Bay. Zooplankton were sampled using a bongo net, 150 μm mesh size, during two surveys, in autumn 2015 and spring 2016, extending from the coast to the open sea. Fourteen zooplankton groups were identified, where copepods represented 49.1% and 92.5% of the total abundance in autumn 2015 and spring 2016, respectively. Tintinnids accounted for 39.7% and 4.7%, respectively. The total zooplankton abundance was higher in autumn (55 992 ind m−3) than in spring (2123 ind m−3). Nineteen species of copepods, belonging to 14 families, were identified. Euterpina acutifrons and Oithona nana were the most common and abundant species. The Acartiids were represented by three species (Acartia clausi, A. tonsa and A. bifilosa) in autumn and one species in spring (A. clausi). The copepods diversity was significantly different between the two seasons showing high values at the entrance and the center of the bay in autumn 2015 and in the southern half of the bay in spring 2016. The copepod structure was characterized by 13 species at different degrees of contribution in autumn 2015. In spring 2016, only four species qualified as indicator species although their contribution was not significant. Given its large opening on the ocean, Cintra Bay benefits largely from the conditions of the oceanic environment, particularly the upwelling. This situation is likely to have an impact on the spatiotemporal variability of the composition and distribution of zooplankton, especially the copepods. Keywords: Cintra Bay, Zooplankton, Copepods, Diversity indices, Environmental parameters