Structure and functioning of epipelagic mesozooplankton in the Mediterranean Sea during spring PEACETIME cruise 2017

International audience17 zooplankton samples were taken during PEACETIME cruise carried out between May and June 2017. The samples were analyzed using FlowCAM and ZOOSCAN to obtain a complete size spectrum from 100 μm to 1 cm. Dry weight, grazing, respiration and excretion rates were derived using established allometric equations. Results show that during the cruise transect, the average zooplankton grazing rate was 11.9 % of phytoplankton stock and 23.9 % of the primary production, and the ammonium and phosphate regenerated by zooplankton excretion contribute in average to 6.71 and 7.01 % of the total N and P requirements for primary production respective