| The French part of the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay (northeast Atlantic) is the habitat of an anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus L.) population of scientific interest because of its economic importance and the trend towards greater interannual fluctuations in its abundance, particularly as a consequence of variations in recruitment. Each year a 1-month survey of this population and its pelagic environment is undertaken. Among the descriptors of ecosystem function characterized, mesozooplankton aspartate transcarbamylase (ATC) activity is measured with the goal of defining overall productivity of the mesozooplankton communities. Diverse physical forcing factors are responsible for the enhancement of productivity in the Bay of Biscay, and their... |
