THE SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE ZOOPLANKTON OFF CHICKEN KEY IN BISCAYNE BAY, FLORIDA

This investigation was undertaken to determine the nature and seasonal distribution of the zooplankton community at a single station off Chicken Key in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Seasonal data on the water temperature, salinity and rainfall were obtained for comparison to the seasonal distribution of the zooplankton. The plankton station maintained is located at approximately 25? 37’N, 80? 17’W, about one mile east of the irrregular mainland shoreline of mangrove swamps and about one-eighth of a mile east of Chicken Key, which is a mangrove island. The depth at mean low tide for this location is six to seven feet. The station discussed here corresponds to station number eleven of Smith, Williams and Davis (1950), who present a map showing the position of Chicken Key in Biscayne Bay. Information on the seasonal distribution of zooplankton in south Florida is rather sparse. Some seasonal information on individual plankters is contained in a study of the composition of the plankton of south Florida by Davis (1950), and isolated records on various planktonic species may be obtained from the publications of Davis (1947, 1948, 1949) and Davis and Williams (1950). A brief seasonal plankton study of a quantitative nature has been included by Smith, et al. (1950′) in their ecological survey of the inshore waters adjacent to Miami. Acknowledgments are accorded to Charles C. Davis, whose guidance made possible this study, to Hilary B. Moore, who offered many helpful suggestions and to J. Fred Walker, whose interest facilitated the completion of this project. Identification of most of the copepods was either made or confirmed by C. C. Davis, and the species of Lucifer was identified by Fenner A. Chace, Jr. The salinity analyses were done by Robert H. Williams. Much of the statistical analysis was done by Mrs. Hazel H. Woodmansee. For assistance in the field work acknowledgments are due my father, Ralph B. Woodmansee, who supplied the outboard motor, George and Richard Kosel, who supplied the skiff, and the Zoology Department and Marine Laboratory of the University of Miami. This project has, been partially supported by an A.A.A.S. grant made available through the Mississippi Academy of Sciences. IET IIGOD