Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean)
This study presents the first species-level assessment of zooplankton communities within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC, ES7020122) in the coastal waters of an oceanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, conducted in a previously under-sampled protected coastal region. Copepods emerged as...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1124 |
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| author | Adrián Torres-Martínez Inma Herrera |
| author_facet | Adrián Torres-Martínez Inma Herrera |
| author_sort | Adrián Torres-Martínez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents the first species-level assessment of zooplankton communities within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC, ES7020122) in the coastal waters of an oceanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, conducted in a previously under-sampled protected coastal region. Copepods emerged as the predominant taxa, offering key insights into early-stage community structure and potential indicators of ecological dynamics in marine ecosystems. Zooplankton biomass and abundance were primarily driven by organisms in the 200–500 µm size fraction, with spatial variation observed across latitudinal transects. A total of 44 copepods species were identified, including dominant genera (<i>Oncaea</i>, <i>Oithona</i>, and <i>Clausocalanus</i>) characteristic of subtropical Atlantic ecosystems. Several indicator species (e.g., <i>Candacia ethiopica</i> and <i>Oncaea scottodicarloi</i>) showed spatial patterns. While no direct impacts from the recent 2021 volcanic eruption were detected, the dominance of opportunistic copepods and the observed diversity suggest a potential adaptive response and resilience of the pelagic community to periodic geological disturbances. These results provide a valuable ecological baseline for future long-term monitoring under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and underscore the importance of copepods as indicators of coastal ecosystem structure and variability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5625fdf5e9e54941a482fc4955bb3208 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-5625fdf5e9e54941a482fc4955bb32082025-08-20T03:27:33ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-06-01136112410.3390/jmse13061124Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean)Adrián Torres-Martínez0Inma Herrera1Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (BIOCON), Instituto Universitario ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35214 Telde, SpainGrupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (BIOCON), Instituto Universitario ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35214 Telde, SpainThis study presents the first species-level assessment of zooplankton communities within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC, ES7020122) in the coastal waters of an oceanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, conducted in a previously under-sampled protected coastal region. Copepods emerged as the predominant taxa, offering key insights into early-stage community structure and potential indicators of ecological dynamics in marine ecosystems. Zooplankton biomass and abundance were primarily driven by organisms in the 200–500 µm size fraction, with spatial variation observed across latitudinal transects. A total of 44 copepods species were identified, including dominant genera (<i>Oncaea</i>, <i>Oithona</i>, and <i>Clausocalanus</i>) characteristic of subtropical Atlantic ecosystems. Several indicator species (e.g., <i>Candacia ethiopica</i> and <i>Oncaea scottodicarloi</i>) showed spatial patterns. While no direct impacts from the recent 2021 volcanic eruption were detected, the dominance of opportunistic copepods and the observed diversity suggest a potential adaptive response and resilience of the pelagic community to periodic geological disturbances. These results provide a valuable ecological baseline for future long-term monitoring under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and underscore the importance of copepods as indicators of coastal ecosystem structure and variability.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1124coastal environmentcommunity structurecopepodsindicator specieszooplankton |
| spellingShingle | Adrián Torres-Martínez Inma Herrera Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) Journal of Marine Science and Engineering coastal environment community structure copepods indicator species zooplankton |
| title | Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_full | Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_fullStr | Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_short | Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_sort | copepod diversity and zooplankton community structure in a coastal special area of conservation la palma island atlantic ocean |
| topic | coastal environment community structure copepods indicator species zooplankton |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1124 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adriantorresmartinez copepoddiversityandzooplanktoncommunitystructureinacoastalspecialareaofconservationlapalmaislandatlanticocean AT inmaherrera copepoddiversityandzooplanktoncommunitystructureinacoastalspecialareaofconservationlapalmaislandatlanticocean |