Zooplankton composition of the Kalpeni and Agatti atolls, Lakshadweep archipelago

151-154Composition of zooplankton in the lagoons was quite different from that of the sea and to a large extent, was independent of oceanic influence. While copepods were dominant in the sea, meroplankton, particularly brachyuran zoeae constituted the largest group in the lagoons. Zooplankton standing stock was lower in the lagoons as compared to the sea. Among copepods, calanoids showed higher abundance in the sea whereas harpacticoids and cyclopoids dominated the Kalpeni and Agatti lagoons respectively. Several striking similarities were observed in the zooplankton composition between the coral and coastal lagoons