The role of Oithona spp. in the marine productivity of the North Atlantic basin

Oithona spp. is the most abundant copepod in many marine
ecosystems including the North Atlantic. However, because of
its small size, its ecology is not well known and its role in
the ecosystem undetermined. In addition, there are strong
indications of important predation by Calanus on Oithona nauplii
with the potential for the nauplii to be an important prey during
periods before the spring bloom. The objectives of this proposal
are: (i) to increase our knowledge in the ecology of Oithona by
assessing its diet, productivity, total biomass and production;
and (ii) to investigate the link between Oithona and Calanus with
special emphasis on the possible consequences of a climatic shift
on the size structure of the zooplankton population.