Editing Zooplankton (section)

===Carbon export=== 
Zooplankton play a critical role in supporting the ocean's [[biological pump]] through various forms of [[Marine carbon export|carbon export]], including the production of fecal pellets, mucous feeding webs, molts, and carcasses. [[Zooplankton fecal pellets|Fecal pellets]] are estimated to be a large contributor to this export, with copepod size rather than abundance expected to determine how much carbon actually reaches the ocean floor. The importance of fecal pellets can vary both by time and location. For example, zooplankton bloom events can produce larger quantities of fecal pellets, resulting in greater measures of carbon export. Additionally, as fecal pellets sink, they are reworked by microbes in the water column, which can thus alter the carbon composition of the pellet. This affects how much carbon is recycled in the euphotic zone and how much reaches depth. Fecal pellet contribution to carbon export is likely underestimated; however, new advances in quantifying this production are currently being developed, including the use of isotopic signatures of amino acids to characterize how much carbon is being exported via zooplankton fecal pellet production.<ref>{{Cite conference |bibcode=2019AGUFMPP42C..12D |title=Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis of Zooplankton Fecal Pellets: Insights into Dietary and Trophic Processes and Characterization of Fecal Pellets as Organic Matter End-Member |last1=Doherty |first1=S.|last2 = Maas |first2=A. E. |last3=Steinberg |first3=D. K. |last4=Popp |first4=B. N. |last5=Close |first5=H. G. |book-title=American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2019 Abstracts |date=2019 |at=abstract #PP42C–12}}</ref> Carcasses are also gaining recognition as being important contributors to carbon export. [[Jelly fall]]s – the mass sinking of gelatinous zooplankton carcasses – occur across the world as a result of large blooms. Because of their large size, these gelatinous zooplankton are expected to hold a larger carbon content, making their sinking carcasses a potentially important source of food for [[Benthos|benthic organisms]].<ref name=Steinberg12017 />