Microzooplankton grazing is an essential parameter to predict the fate of organic matter production in planktonic food webs. To identify predictors of grazing, we leveraged a 6‐yr time series of coastal plankton growth and grazing rates across contrasting environmental conditions. Phytoplankton size–structure and trophic transfer were seasonally consistent with small phytoplankton cell dominance and low trophic transfer in summer, and large cell dominance and higher trophic transfer in winter. Departures from this pattern during two disruptive events revealed a critical link between phytoplankton size–structure and trophic transfer. An unusual summer bloom of large phytoplankton cells yielded high trophic transfer, and an atypical winter dominance of small phytoplankton resulted in seasonally atypical low trophic transfer. Environmental conditions during these events were neither seasonally atypical nor unique. Thus, phytoplankton size–structure rather than environmental conditions held a key‐role driving trophic transfer. Phytoplankton size–structure is easily measurable and could impart predictive power of food‐web structure and the fate of primary production in coastal ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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浮游植物大小结构的变化改变了温带沿海浮游食物网的营养转移


微型浮游动物的放牧是预测浮游食物网中有机物生产命运的重要参数。为了确定放牧的预测因素，我们利用了对比环境条件下沿海浮游生物生长和放牧率的 6 年时间序列。浮游植物的大小结构和营养转移在季节性上与夏季小浮游植物细胞优势和低营养转移以及冬季大细胞优势和高营养转移保持一致。在两次破坏性事件期间偏离这种模式揭示了浮游植物大小结构与营养转移之间的关键联系。大型浮游植物细胞异常的夏季繁殖产生了高营养转移，而小型浮游植物的非典型冬季优势导致了季节性非典型的低营养转移。这些事件期间的环境条件既不是季节性异常的，也不是独特的。因此，浮游植物的大小结构而不是环境条件在驱动营养转移中发挥着关键作用。浮游植物的大小结构很容易测量，可以预测食物网结构和沿海生态系统初级生产的命运。