Plankton diversity and biogeography in the southwest Pacific

This study investigates eukaryotic plankton diversity and populations distribution in water masses and across major frontal zones of the southwest Pacific. The aims of this study are 1) to characterize the diversity of protistan communities in subtropical and subantarctic waters east of New Zealand and across the subtropical front that separates these water masses, and 2) to investigate the distributional patterns of main protistan taxonomic groups and species in relation to physical and chemical variability. The southwest Pacific occupies a vast area of the Southern Ocean and planktonic communities contributes significantly to global biogeochemical cycles including the carbon cycle. Characterizing the composition of plankton communities and how they change across different water masses and regions is hence key to understand their role in pelagic ecosystems.