Future marine zooplankton research - a perspective

During the Second Marine Zooplankton Colloquium (MZC2) 3 issues were added to those developed 11 yr ago during the First Marine Zooplankton Colloquium (MZC1). First, we focused on hot spots, i.e., locations where zooplankton occur in higher than regular abundance and/or operate at higher rates, We s hould be able to determine the processes leading to such aggregations and r ates, and quantify their persistence. Second, information on the level of i ndividual species, even of highly abundant ones, is limited, Concerted effo rts should be undertaken with highly abundant to dominant species or genera (e.g., Oithona spp,, Calanus spp., Oikopleura spp., Euphausia superba) to determine what governs their abundance and its variability. Third, zooplank ton clearly influence biogeochemical cycling in the ocean, but our knowledg e of the underlying processes remains fragmentary. Therefore a thorough ass essment of variables that still need to be quantified is required to obtain an understanding of zooplankton contributions to biogeochemical cycling. C ombining studies on the 7 issues from MZC1 with the 3 from MZC2 should even tually lead to a comprehensive understanding of (1) the mechanisms governin g the abundance and existence of dominant zooplankton taxa, and (2) the con trol of biodiversity and biocomplexity, for example, in the tropical ocean where diversity is high. These recommendations come from an assemblage of c hemical, physical and biological oceanographers with experience in major in terdisciplinary studies, including modeling. These recommendations are inte nded to stimulate efforts within the oceanographic community to facilitate the development of predictive capabilities for major biological processes i n the ocean.