The abundance, community composition and feeding activity of zooplankton determines the amount of organic matter which is either recycled within the mixed layer or is transported to depth (non-utilized phytoplankton, fecal pellets, carcasses, molts, mucous material or migrating animals). Past plankton studies have focused on particular taxonomic classes or size categories of zooplankton, thus missing the full complexity and trophic relationships of the epipelagic zooplankton community. This research will comprehensively characterize and quantify the entire epipelagic community and its consumption of primary production in the open ocean in order to provide accurate assessments of the flux of photosynthetically derived carbon.
