| In temperate neritic areas, meteorological conditions prevailing during winter and the following spring play a major role on the main features of the spring development pattern of pelagic ecosystems. Interannual fluctuations of this environment lead to qualitative and quantitative variations of secondary production which may strongly influence processes regulating the recruitment of many species. A method for assessing pelagic secondary production is based on measurement of the activity of an enzyme, aspartate transcarbamylase, and has been carried out during spring periods for six years in succession, in the southwestern part of the English Channel. These works have permitted the establishment of a close correlation between the quantitative variations of... |
