Spatial mismatch between phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass at the Celtic Boundary Front

摘要: Thermohaline fronts are present globally and have been identified as biodiversity hotspots, encouraging enhanced primary productivity attracting dense aggregations of higher trophic level organisms. The Celtic Boundary Front (CBF) sits in an important zone economic activity yet no contemporary studies describing the meso-zooplankton community exist for this region. High-frequency sampling during June 2009 revealed three distinct areas on mixed (Irish Sea) stratified (Celtic Sea; Deep) sides front, each exhibiting physical biological characteristics. Low zooplankton abundance was found above Deep, despite apparent optimal phytoplankton conditions, conflicting with observations made at other frontal locations. Although assemblages were generally within areas, copepod Acartia clausii ubiquitous across all accounted almost 60% counted individuals. long-term variation seasonal front development examined using samples from Continuous Plankton Recorder. results analysis suggest that low is a recurring feature over Deep. Possible explanations observed patterns may be top-down effects pelagic fish; alternatively, these consequence strong density stratification gradients