Composition and spatial distribution of mesozooplankton along confinement and anthropogenic-impact gradients in the gulf of vlorë (Albania)

The composition of mesozooplankton and their space-time distribution in the Gulf of Vlore¨ (southern Albania, Mediterranean Sea) are described for the first time. Sampling was carried out during two oceanographic cruises (May 2007, January 2008) with two replicates at each of 17 stations at each time, making a total of 68 samples. The study aimed to describe the influence of confinement (defined as distance from the open sea) and anthropogenic impact (defined as vicinity to the east coast of the gulf) on zooplankton composition. A total of 198 taxa were recognised in the whole zooplankton assemblage, with only 136 taxa common to both periods and only two species present in all samples. Statistical analysis of data distinguished the Mezokanal area (the boundary between the gulf and the open sea) from three other areas inside the gulf. Differences were also found among the areas inside the gulf at increasing degree of confinement. Mesozooplankton varied more sharply with confinement than with anthropogenic impact and yielded moredetailed space partitioning of the gulf than microzooplankton, which had been used in a previous study