eDNA and microscopy reveal traits underlying long-term zooplankton community change.

eDNA and microscopy at Station L4 in the Western English Channel show long-term zooplankton community change, with eDNA revealing a shift toward soft-sediment fauna and fine filter-feeding traits.

• Why it matters: Declines in copepods and increases in meroplankton threaten pelagic food-web stability and commercially exploited fish, but the mechanisms behind long-term community shifts remain unclear.
• What they did: Weekly, high-resolution net microscopy over 35 years and surface-water eDNA over 11 years were compared, showing strong agreement for holoplanktonic crustaceans and gelatinous predators but weaker correspondence for meroplankton.
• The result: eDNA indicated higher relative sequence abundance of soft sediment (mainly sublittoral) fauna, and trait analysis linked long-term increases mainly to fine filter feeders, including many meroplankton larvae.