ZOOSWAT: A Group Study on the Structure and Function of the Epipelagic Zooplankton Community of the Sargasso Sea

浮游动物的丰度、群落组成和摄食活动决定了在混合层内循环或向深处输送的有机质的数量(未利用的浮游植物、粪便颗粒、身体、蜕皮、粘液物质或迁徙动物)。过去的浮游生物研究集中在浮游动物的特定分类类别或大小类别上，因此忽略了上层浮游动物群落的全部复杂性和营养关系。这项研究将全面描述和量化整个上层海洋群落及其在公海的初级生产消费量，以便准确评估光合作用衍生的碳的通量。

The abundance, community composition and feeding activity of zooplankton determines the amount of organic matter which is either recycled within the mixed layer or is transported to depth (non-utilized phytoplankton, fecal pellets, carcasses, molts, mucous material or migrating animals). Past plankton studies have focused on particular taxonomic classes or size categories of zooplankton, thus missing the full complexity and trophic relationships of the epipelagic zooplankton community. This research will comprehensively characterize and quantify the entire epipelagic community and its consumption of primary production in the open ocean in order to provide accurate assessments of the flux of photosynthetically derived carbon.