High-frequency acoustic scattering techniques have been used to investigate dominant scatterers in mixed zooplankton populations. Volume backscattering was measured in the Gulf of Maine at 43, 120, 200, and 420 kHz. Zooplankton composition and size were determined using net and video sampling techniques, and water properties were determined using conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors. Dominant scatterers have been identified using recently developed scattering models for zooplankton and microstructure. Microstructure generally did not contribute to the scattering. At certain locations, gas-bearing zooplankton, that account for a small fraction of the total abundance and biomass, dominated the scattering at all frequencies. At these locations, acoustically inferred size agreed well with size determined from the net samples. Significant differences between the acoustic, net, and video estimates of abundance for these zooplankton are most likely due to limitations of the net and video techniques. No other type of biological scatterer ever dominated the scattering at all frequencies. Copepods, fluid-like zooplankton that account for most of the abundance and biomass, dominated at select locations only at the highest frequencies. At these locations, acoustically inferred abundance agreed well with net and video estimates. A general approach for the difficult problem of interpreting high-frequency acoustic scattering in mixed zooplankton populations is described.

Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) stratify nariowly near 500 m depth dunng their fifth copepodite resting phase in North Atlantic Slope Water off southern New England USA They probably a c h~e v e this by migration to a specific, daytime isolume Photoperiod information provided by light intensity at depth could serve as a cue for termination of the resting phase Population data on tooth formation and gonad growth show that the reshng stock prepares foi termination in late winter and matures in February-March Photopel~ods are lengthening throughout that seasonal interval, and might cue arousal An endogenous, long-range timer that cues arousal after an interval of rest is another possible mechamsm

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More than 2,500 species of copepods (Class Maxillopoda; Subclass Copepoda) occur in the marine planktonic environment. The exceptional morphological conservation of the group, with numerous sibling species groups, makes the identification of species challenging, even for expert taxonomists. Molecular approaches to species identification have allowed rapid detection, discrimination, and identification of species based on DNA sequencing of single specimens and environmental samples. Despite the recent development of diverse genetic and genomic markers, the barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene remains a useful and – in some cases – unequaled diagnostic character for species-level identification of copepods. This study reports 800 new barcode sequences for 63 copepod species not included in any previous study and examines the reliability and resolution of diverse statistical approaches to species identification based upon a dataset of 1,381 barcode sequences for 195 copepod species. We explore the impact of missing data (i.e., species not represented in the barcode database) on the accuracy and reliability of species identifications. Among the tested approaches, the best close match analysis resulted in accurate identification of all individuals to species, with no errors (false positives), and out-performed automated tree-based or BLAST based analyses. This comparative analysis yields new understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of DNA barcoding and confirms the value of DNA barcodes for species identification of copepods, including both individual specimens and bulk samples. Continued integrative morphological-molecular taxonomic analysis is needed to produce a taxonomically-comprehensive database of barcode sequences for all species of marine copepods.

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Biodiversity of zooplankton is central to the functioning of ocean ecosystems, yet morphological taxonomic analysis requires teams of experts and detailed examination of many samples. Metabarcoding (DNA sequencing of short amplified regions of one or a few genes from environmental samples) is a powerful tool for analysis of the composition and diversity of natural communities. The 18S rRNA V9 hypervariable region was sequenced for 26 zooplankton samples collected from the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Mid-Atlantic Bight during ecosystem monitoring surveys by the U.S. Northeast Fisheries Science Center during 2002–2012. A total of 7 648 033 sequences and 22 072 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified and classified into 28 taxonomic groups of plankton. Comparative analysis of molecular (V9 sequence numbers) and morphological (abundance counts) focused on seven taxonomic groups and revealed similar patterns of variation among years and regions. Sequence numbers and abundance counts showed positive correlation for all groups, with significant correlations (p < 0.05) for Calanoida, Gastropoda, and Chaetognatha. Shannon diversity index values calculated using sequence numbers and abundance counts showed highly significant correlation (r = 0.625; p < 0.001) across all regions during 2002–2012. This study demonstrates the potential of metabarcoding for time-series analysis of zooplankton biodiversity, ocean ecosystem assessment, and fisheries management.

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