Temperature-induced copepod depletion and the associated wax of Bellerochea in Belgian coastal waters : implications and shifts in plankton dynamics

Since 2018, severe and recurrent copepod depletions have been observed in Belgian coastal waters. These depletions have been described as temperature-induced mass mortality events. This paper confirms the relation of copepod abundance anomalies with periods of high temperature based on new data. Although severe, the effects, consequences and implications of this depletion remain unknown. Our study suggests that the absence of zooplanktonic predators in autumn, together with the availability of nutrients discharged via the Scheldt estuary, allowed a bloom of the diatom Bellerochea, in a season... Mehr ...