Seasonal variation in biochemical and energy content of size-fractionated zooplankton in the Bay of Marseille (North-Western Mediterranean Sea)

Zooplankton plays a prominent role in marine pelagic food webs, but its contribution to organic matter transfer from phytoplankton to upper level consumers is modulated by size and specific composition. The biochemical composition (protein, carbohydrate and lipid concentrations) and energy content of size- and group-fractionated zooplankton were analyzed in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea (Marseille) over 18 months. Proteins were the most...