Relación fitoplancton-zooplancton en el Pacífico Ecuatorial (Ecuador), durante septiembre 2001

Abstract

El presente trabajo es una contribución al conocimiento de la bio-oceanografía del mar ecuatoriano, forma parte del proyecto de Monitoreo de las condiciones oceanográficas en el mar ecuatoriano y su relación con eventos de El Niño, realizadas en el B/I ORION del Instituto Oceanográfico de la Armada (INOCAR) en septiembre-octubre 2001, como un aporte a la comunidad científica.

The present research corresponds to the cruise carried out by the Oceanographic Institute of the Ecuadorian Navy in september 2001, between 89°W - 81°1W and 1°N - 3°3S. The distribution of plankton populations associated with upwelling areas of the coastal brunch of the Humboldt Current in the Gulf of Guayaquil, and toward the Galápagos, upwelling of the Cromwell Current, forming patches in the central region and toward the Gulf of Guayaquil, is decribed. Increased phytoplankton (diatoms) production was found south of the equatorial region, coincident with the presence of dinoflagellates species of warm-oceanic waters allowing slight mixed areas. The higher abundance of zooplankton (copepods) were found to the east of the Galápagos Islands, decreasing toward the continent. These bio-geographic conditions point to higher productivity areas to the south and lower productivity areas to the north of the studied area, characterized by the position of the equatorial front. A. patch the high biological productivity was also evidenced in the oceanic region, atypical condition associated to the global cooling of the La Niña event, and/ or advances of upwelling waters toward the continent, processes of great importance for the pelagic resources of Ecuador.