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Mesozooplankton Ecology in Marine Environments
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Mesozooplankton Ecology in Marine Environments

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2025 | Viewed by 791

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Protopapa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Athens, Greece
Interests: mesozooplankton ecology in marine environments; taxonomy of mesozooplankton; the trophic role of zooplankton in marine food webs; isotopes and biochemical indices on zooplankton
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Inma Herrera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Grupo de Biodiversidad y Conservación (BIOCON), Instituto Universitario ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Telde, Spain
Interests: : zooplankton ecology in marine environments; taxonomy of mesozooplankton; the trophic role of zooplankton in marine food webs; stable isotopes; metabarcoding and biochemical indices (ETS, AARS) on zooplankton.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mesozooplankton plays a vital role in marine ecology, acting as a key component of food webs and contributing to nutrient cycling in both coastal and oceanic ecosystems. Its distribution is influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors, including climate change and marine heatwaves, which can shift biodiversity and impact ecosystem functioning.

Research on mesozooplankton has evolved from basic taxonomy to more complex studies of their ecological roles in food webs and biogeochemical cycles. This Special Issue explores the diversity, distribution, and ecological functions of mesozooplankton, with a focus on their responses to climate change and human impacts.

Cutting-edge research now employs molecular techniques and ecosystem modeling to examine their adaptive strategies in a changing ocean. We invite original research, reviews, and data-driven studies that offer new insights into mesozooplankton ecology, focusing on their roles in marine food webs, responses to environmental stressors, and broader ecological significance.

Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Taxonomic and functional diversity of mesozooplankton species.
  • Temporal and spatial variations in mesozooplankton abundance and biogeographical distribution.
  • Trophic interactions and mesozooplankton roles in food web dynamics.
  • Vertical migration patterns and diel movements of mesozooplankton.
  • Contributions of mesozooplankton to the biological carbon pump, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration.
  • Life cycle stages, reproduction, and development of mesozooplankton species.
  • Impacts of physical and chemical oceanographic conditions, including climate change and marine heatwaves, on mesozooplankton communities.
  • Application of molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding and metabarcoding for species identification and biodiversity assessment.
  • Effects of anthropogenic stressors such as pollution, habitat degradation, and overfishing on mesozooplankton populations.
  • Advances in sampling methodologies and technologies for studying mesozooplankton ecology.
  • Conservation challenges and future directions in mesozooplankton biodiversity research.

This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive synthesis of mesozooplankton ecology, emphasizing their ecological significance and identifying key research gaps for future investigation.

Dr. Maria Protopapa
Dr. Inma Herrera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mesozooplankton
  • biomarkers
  • pollution
  • climate change
  • diversity, trophic interactions
  • anthropogenic stressors
  • heatwaves

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3842 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Summer Cyclonic Circulation in the Southern Gulf of California on Planktonic Copepod Communities
by Franco Antonio Rocha-Díaz, María Adela Monreal-Gómez, Erik Coria-Monter, David Alberto Salas-de-León, Elizabeth Durán-Campos and Sergio Cházaro-Olvera
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(8), 1394; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13081394 - 23 Jul 2025
Viewed by 161
Abstract
This study evaluated how the summer circulation pattern in the Southern Gulf of California influences copepod communities. The evaluation was based on hydrographic data and zooplankton samples collected during a multidisciplinary research cruise conducted in June and July of 2019. The results revealed [...] Read more.
This study evaluated how the summer circulation pattern in the Southern Gulf of California influences copepod communities. The evaluation was based on hydrographic data and zooplankton samples collected during a multidisciplinary research cruise conducted in June and July of 2019. The results revealed the presence of a cyclonic circulation with a diameter of approximately 100 km, located near the entrance of the Gulf, affecting the upper 200 m layer. A total of 30 copepod species were identified, including 20 from the order Calanoida and 10 from Cyclopoida. The most abundant Calanoida species were Canthocalanus pauper, Clausocalanus furcatus, and Subeucalanus subcrassus, with respective densities of 2316.80, 1593.60, and 1584.64 ind m−3. The most abundant Cyclopoida species were Oithona setigera, Dioithona rigida, and Oncaea venusta, which had densities of 963.44, 290.56, and 235.52 ind m−3, respectively. The horizontal distribution of these species showed variations influenced by the cyclonic circulation. Specifically, low abundance values were observed at the center of cyclonic circulation, while higher values were found at its periphery. This pattern was consistent among the dominant species, indicating that they do not benefit from the cold subsurface waters induced by circulation. In fact, the distribution of some species was higher in a band of warm water located in the eastern portion of the study area. Overall, our findings shed light on how the summer cyclonic circulation in the Southern Gulf of California affects the copepod community, an aspect that has not been previously explored. This research enhances our understanding of the processes influencing this group of organisms in a highly dynamic environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mesozooplankton Ecology in Marine Environments)
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13 pages, 1954 KiB  
Article
Copepod Diversity and Zooplankton Community Structure in a Coastal Special Area of Conservation (La Palma Island, Atlantic Ocean)
by Adrián Torres-Martínez and Inma Herrera
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(6), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061124 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 434
Abstract
This study presents the first species-level assessment of zooplankton communities within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC, ES7020122) in the coastal waters of an oceanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, conducted in a previously under-sampled protected coastal region. Copepods emerged as the [...] Read more.
This study presents the first species-level assessment of zooplankton communities within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC, ES7020122) in the coastal waters of an oceanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, conducted in a previously under-sampled protected coastal region. Copepods emerged as the predominant taxa, offering key insights into early-stage community structure and potential indicators of ecological dynamics in marine ecosystems. Zooplankton biomass and abundance were primarily driven by organisms in the 200–500 µm size fraction, with spatial variation observed across latitudinal transects. A total of 44 copepods species were identified, including dominant genera (Oncaea, Oithona, and Clausocalanus) characteristic of subtropical Atlantic ecosystems. Several indicator species (e.g., Candacia ethiopica and Oncaea scottodicarloi) showed spatial patterns. While no direct impacts from the recent 2021 volcanic eruption were detected, the dominance of opportunistic copepods and the observed diversity suggest a potential adaptive response and resilience of the pelagic community to periodic geological disturbances. These results provide a valuable ecological baseline for future long-term monitoring under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and underscore the importance of copepods as indicators of coastal ecosystem structure and variability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mesozooplankton Ecology in Marine Environments)
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