LACK OF SEASONAL AND GEOGRAPHIC-VARIATION IN MESOZOOPLANKTON BIOMASS IN THE ARABIAN SEA AND ITS STRUCTURE IN THE MIXED-LAYER

Mesozooplankton standing stock, abundance and composition were studied during three seasons (summer winter and inter-monsoon) from coastal a nd open ocean waters of the central and eastern Arabian Sea in 1994-95 , Concentrations were generally higher in the mixed layer compared to deeper strata, A noteworthy feature was that the standing stocks and a bundances did not vary significantly between seasons and areas, Vertic al migrations appeared to be in a low key, In all seasons herbivores d ominated, followed by carnivores, A few species, common in all seasons , accounted the majority of the population The 'paradox' of the Arabia n Sea, that zooplankton biomass remains more or less invariant, despit e seasonally varying primary production regimes, could be explained by a microbial loop.