Data and results for Pappalardo et al (2025) publication "Scales of variation in zooplankton communities and monitoring for species of concern in southcentral Alaska"

<p dir="ltr">This data package includes input data and results associated with the publication “Scales of variation in zooplankton communities and monitoring for species of concern in southcentral Alaska” by Pappalardo et al. (2025) in ICES Journal of Marine Science. Our study used DNA metabarcoding of plankton samples for assessing zooplankton richness and composition in coastal waters. This approach can also monitor species of concern, including planktonic and benthic species with planktonic larvae. Our study utilized the mitochondrial COI gene to evaluate how factors like collection date (year, month, week), tidal cycle, and location affect zooplankton community dynamics. We found that seasonality had the most significant impact on species richness and composition, particularly among meroplankton groups, with peaks in abundance observed in April and May. Eight potentially introduced species were detected, with Oithona davisae appearing in three locations over two years. Our findings indicate that plankton surveys are effective monitoring tools, and the timing of sampling is crucial for detecting larval stages of introduced species. We also offer bioinformatic recommendations to enhance species detection and validation.</p>