Estructura espacial y variación estacional de los copépodos en la Ensenada de La Paz

Seasonal zooplankton samples were collected at the Ensenada de La Paz, México during 1984. Samples were obtained with a conical net of 250 micrometers mesh size. The aim of this work was to analyze the temporal and spatial changes in the copepod community. The copepod community was similar to the typical species composition reported for coastal lagoons and estuaries. A high variability in the abundance and the dominance of only a few species like Acartia clausi, Acartia lilljeborgii and Paracalanus parvus were found, showing a close relationship to the variability of the seasonal environmental conditions. Seasonal taxocenosis structure changes and the distribution patterns of the copepod populations showed a close relationship to temperature and tidal changes.