STUDIES ON THE MICROZOOPLANKTON FROM THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARABIAN SEA

Numerical abundance and composition of microzooplankton in the upper 2 00 m were studied from the central and eastern Arabian Sea during thre e seasons. Protozoans, comprising of ciliates (loricates and aloricate s), flagellates and sarcodines were dominant, ranging from 55% to 91%. Among metazoans, nauplii and copepodite stages were common, Microzoop lankton abundance was generally higher in the upper 100 m water column during all the three seasons, The column values were from 69,000 m(-2 ) to m (inter-monsoon), 7350 m(-2) to 56,350 m(-2) (winter monsoon) an d 10,800 m(-2) to 139,150 m(-2) (summer monsoon), Seasonal averages we re 700 l(-1), 130 l(-1) and 310 l(-1) respectively. A maximum of 5000 l(-1) was observed during summer at 5 m at a coastal station, Microzoo plankton carbon in three different seasons ranged from a minimum of 4 mu g C l(-1) during summer monsoon to a maximum of 36 mu g C l(-1) dur ing inter-monsoon and was higher than that of mesozooplankton, Peaks i n population observed during inter-monsoon season, when phytoplankton productivity was low and relatively high bacterial abundance was obser ved, indicated a microbial loop.