Cnidarian zooplankton distribution across geographical, vertical, biotic and abiotic gradients in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

During the MedSeA project Cruise (May 2013) plankton samples were collected by multi-net system (MOCNESS) covering the upper 600m and plankton nets (Bongo) at 200m. A main aim of this study is to improve our understanding of the environmental factors controlling the understudied gelatinous plankton distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Zooplankton samples, biotic and abiotic parameters (including temperature and seawater carbonate chemistry) were collected from 21 stations distributed along the entire Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic off Cadiz, Spain, to the Levantine Basin. Cnidarian species were manually sorted and identified under a stereoscopic microscope, and ZooScan optical counting system were used to obtain the abundances of the other main zooplankton groups. First results presented herein show the first macroscale geographical and vertical distribution for several cnidarian species in the Mediterranean providing valuable information on the distribution of the Mediterranean cnidarian zooplankton and the environmental drivers of its biogeography. The distribution models developed with this data will contribute to the prediction of the species distribution in relation to different environmental conditions, such as in future climate change and ocean acidification scenarios