Final Report Summary - ROMEO (ROle of crustacean zooplankton on prokaryotic community composition in the MEsopelagic Ocean)
Our data showed significant differences between the bacterial communities associated with the dominant copepods families (Calanoida, Centropagidae; Calanoida, Clausocalanidae; Cyclopoida, Corycaeidae; Cyclopoida, Oncaeidae; Cyclopoida, Lubbockiidae) and the ambient water. Bacilli and Actinobacteria dominated the copepod-associated community and Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria and Synechococcus dominated the free-living community. However, the presence of shared bacterial OTUs between these two distinct habitats suggests a dynamic exchange of bacteria from seawater and copepods. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that the interior and exterior surfaces of copepods provide a specific niche with a strong selective pressure for bacteria.