Precision of mesoplankton sampling: A case study based on three net series in the South Atlantic and in the Black Sea.

Mesoplankton is a key element of pelagic communities representing the largest biome on the planet. Many concepts in marine and freshwater biology are based on quantitative estimates of mesoplankton abundance, whereas precision of mesoplankton sampling remains underexplored and may depend on various factors. We analyzed ten contiguous daytime epipelagic samples in the Black Sea and 13 nighttime mesopelagic samples in the South Atlantic.

Mesoplankton across the North Atlantic: Composition and environmental drivers at 59.5th latitude.

North Atlantic zooplankton communities vary in terms of abundance, biomass and species composition depending on various environmental factors. In this study we analyzed the influence of hydrological factors (water temperature, salinity and density) on mesoplankton and retrieve boundaries between mesoplankton assemblages across the Subpolar North Atlantic. The material was collected in July 2013 with the use of Juday plankton net vertical hauls (0-300 m layer) at 55 stations arranged along a longitudinal transect along 59.

Long-term studies reveal major environmental factors driving zooplankton dynamics and periodicities in the Black Sea coastal zooplankton.

Background: The development and management of shelf-sea ecosystems require a holistic understanding of the factors that influence the zooplankton structure and ecosystem functions. The Black Sea is an example of such areas influenced by eutrophication, overfishing, climate variability, invasions of the ctenophores followed by . Thus, there is a set of principal factors which may influence and explain periodicities in the Black Sea ecosystem.

Composition and dynamics of the Black Sea benthopelagic plankton and its contribution to the near-shore plankton communities.

At a shallow (7 m) near-shore sampling site in the Black Sea we analyzed composition, abundance, and biomass of benthopelagic organisms and the contribution these animals make to the total plankton. The site was monitored across several years (1996-2001; 2006-2007) whilst for 1999-2000 the seasonal variations were analysed. A total of 321 samples from Golubaja Bay near Novorossiysk (44°34'31.