In spring, the zooplankton crop was larger than other
seasons (average: 31.3 21.5 103 ind. m3
). It was the
most productive season for protozoans, representing 78.2%
of the total zooplankton. They were represented by 22 species
(1 non tintinnid ciliates, 16 tintinnids and 5 foraminiferans)
with the dominance of Schmidingerella serrata (73.9% of
the total zooplankton). Copepods were the second dominant
group, accounting for 17.6% of the total count. Regarding
species composition, copepods were represented by 8 species.
Oithona nana made up 34.43% of the total copepods and
O. plumifera 12.78%. Rotifers contributed 1.0% to the total
community.