Zooplankton of Bahía de Los Ángeles (Gulf of California) in the Context of Other Coastal Regions of the Northeast Pacific

Zooplankton communities in Bahía de Los Ángeles (BLA), a biodiversity-rich marine protected area within the UNESCO-listed Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, exhibit strong seasonal variability. Copepods and cladocerans dominate year-round, accounting for 93% of zooplankton abundance, while meroplankton taxa—including bivalve, gastropod, and barnacle larvae—peak during warmer months (summer–autumn). Notably, copepod nauplii surged in January, coinciding with colder temperatures. Among cladocerans, Penilia avirostris emerged as the most abundant species, contributing significantly to zooplankton composition from spring to autumn. This study, based on 81 monthly samples collected between 2017 and 2019, provides critical baseline data for ecological management and contextualizes BLA’s zooplankton dynamics within broader temperate and tropical coastal regions of the northeast Pacific.

Lavaniegos, B. E., Ortuño-Manzanares, G., & Cadena-Ramírez, J. L. (2025). Zooplankton of Bahía de Los Ángeles (Gulf of California) in the Context of Other Coastal Regions of the Northeast Pacific. Diversity, 17(5), 316. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17050316