The Summer Zooplankton of the Surf Zone at Folly Beach, South Carolina

Abstract

The zooplankton of the surf zone at a beach site in South Carolina was numerically dominated during the summer by larval decapods, mysids, and copepods. Taxa that were abundant in the surf zone have also been commonly collected in estuarine and nearshore waters in this biogeographic region, and are not restricted to the beach environment. Time of day apparently influenced the relative abundance of acroinvertebrates such as brachyuran megalopae and mysids, caught with a 505-mm net, whereas tidal stage had a greater influence on smaller zooplankters such as calanoid copepods and meroplanktonic larvae, captured with a 100-mm net.