Temporal variability and production of the planktonic copepod community in the Cananeia Lagoon estuarine system, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Temporal variability and production of the planktonic copepod community in the Cananeia Lagoon estuarine system, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Zoological Studies 43(2):179-186. Diel and seasonal variations in the abundance, biomass, and production rate of the planktonic copepod community were investigated in the Cananeia Lagoon estuarine system, a mangrove-surrounded estuary located near the southern border of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, On each sampling date, zooplankton samples were collected using a 150-mum-mesh plankton net at intervals of 4 h over multiple 24-h periods from February 1995 to January 1996. Copepods accounted for 68.1%similar to97.7% (with an annual mean of 84.8%) of the total zooplankton abundance. The copepod community consisted of 37 species; the dominant species were Oithona hebes, O. oswaldocruzi, Acartia lilljeborgi, A. tonsa, Pseudodiaptomus acutus, Parvocalanus crassirostris, Euterpina acutifrons and Temora turbinata. Copepod abundance, biomass, and production rates showed remarkable seasonal variations, being highest in January. Annual mean abundance, biomass, and estimated production rate, using the Hirst-Lampitt model, of copepodites and adults were 3.33 x 10(4) +/- 1.76 x 10(4) individuals m(-3), 19.757 +/- 9.776 mg C m(-3) and 5.249 +/- 3.055 mg C m(-3) d(-1) (mean +/- SD), respectively. The daily mean P/B ratio was 0.20similar to0.38 d(-1). During the study period, the copepod community consisted mainly of the small-sized component: copepods with a total body length less than 1000 mum accounted for 75.1%similar to99.9% (with an annual mean of 93.1%) of the total copepod abundance. The median individual weight was 0.46-0.95 mug C (with an annual median of 0.63 mug C), and copepods weighing less than 1 mug C dominated the biomass and production rate, constituting 28.7%similar to68% (with an annual mean of 52.1%) and 43.3%similar to79.7% (with an annual mean of 66.1%) of the copepod community biomass and production rate, respectively.