Metabarcoding analysis of size-fractioned copepods in the Kuroshio region off Japan

This project aimed to characterize community structure and diversity of small copepods in the Kuroshio region off Japan. The metabarcoding data of 28S D2 region were obtained from size-fractioned community samples of epipelagic zooplankton in the subtropical western North Pacific. Bulk zooplankton samples were collected using NORPAC net and size-fractioned into small (0.1-0.5 mm), medium (0.5-1.0 mm), and large (1.0-2.0 mm) fractions. The community structure and diversity of copepods in the Kuroshio region were compared with those in the center of the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Seasonal and inter-annual changes of copepod community and diversity in 2013-1016 were also assessed in the Kuroshio region off Japan.