Metabolism and foraging strategies of mid-latitude mesozooplankton during cyanobacterial blooms as revealed by fatty acids, amino acids and their stable carbon isotopes

Increasing sea surface temperatures (SST) and blooms of lipid-poor, filamentous cyanobacteria can change mesozooplankton metabolism and foraging strategies in marine systems. Lipid shortage and imbalanced diet may challenge the build-up of energy pools of lipids and proteins, and access to essential fatty acids (FAs) and amino acids (AAs) by copepods. The impact of cyanobacterial blooms on individual energy pools was assessed for key species, temperate Temora longicornis and boreal Pseudo-/Paracalanus spp. that dominated field mesozooplankton communities isolated by seasonal stratification in the central Baltic Sea during the hot and the cold summer. We looked at (1) total lipid and protein levels; (2) FA trophic markers and AA composition, and (3) compound-specific stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) in bulk mesozooplankton and in a subset of parameters in particulate organic matter. Despite lipid-poor cyanobacterial blooms, the key species were largely able to cover both energy pools, yet a...