Digital Commons Network^™

Habitat Dimensions Of Calanoid Copepods In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, James A. Cummings

Journal of Marine Research

The vertical distributions of 49 species (53 taxa) of calanoid copepods were determined in cyclonic and anticyclonic hydrographic features in the western Gulf of Mexico for three seasons of the year. The relative intensities of the features varied among seasons, while within seasons the physical structure between features was different. Since the same copepod species were present in both features for all seasons sampled, the contrasting hydrography provided a natural experiment in which to study the mechanisms, biological or physical, acting to influence species vertical distribution patterns. Hierarchial classification analysis revealed that groups of samples characterized by relatively homogeneous biotic …