Studies on the chemical composition of some planktonic copepodsin the Taiwan Strait

The chemical composition of marine zooplankton was studied through two seasonal cruises (August 1994 and February 1995) in the Taiwan Strait.The carbon(C),nitrogen(N) and hydrngen(H) dry weight contents of planktonic copepods were in the range of 36.24%-45.63%,8.50%-11.37% and 4.23%-6.50% respectively.Data comparison among the three southern sea areas of China showed the same subtropical characteristics in the chemical composition of planktonic crustaceans.The seasonal changes of C and N contents and CAN ratio in the Taiwan Strait implied the different nutritional conditions in the open sea from those in the inner gulf.