Phytoplankton assemblages in the deep chlorophyll maximum layers off the Mediterranean coast of Israel

Phytoplankton assemblages in the deep chlorophyll maximum andnear-surface layers were compared at seven stations in the inshoreand offshore waters of the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Thestudy included the entire spectrum of taxonomic categories overa wide size range, comprising the nano/pico phytoplankton componentsdown to 1 µm and the larger phytoplankters consistingprimarily of diatoms and dino-flagellates. The coccolithophorids<20 µm and the monads constituted the most abundantcomponents of the phytoplankton at the deep chlorophyll maximum(DCM) and near surface layer. Certain individual species, mainlypennate diatoms and smaller dinoflagellates, seemed to adaptto the DCM to form a characteristic association.