Bertrand Arnaud auteur aut IRD Grados D. auteur aut IRD Colas François auteur aut IRD Bertrand Sophie auteur aut IRD Capet X. auteur aut IRD Chaigneau Alexis auteur aut IRD Vargas G. auteur aut IRD Mousseigne A. auteur aut IRD Fablet R. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access In marine ecosystems, like most natural systems, patchiness is the rule. A characteristic of pelagic ecosystems is that their 'substrate' consists of constantly moving water masses, where ocean surface turbulence creates ephemeral oases. Identifying where and when hot-spots occur and how predators manage those vagaries in their preyscape is challenging because wide-ranging observations are lacking. Here we use a unique data set, gathering high-resolution and wide-range acoustic and GPS-tracking data. We show that the upper ocean dynamics at scales less than 10 km play the foremost role in shaping the seascape from zooplankton to seabirds. Short internal waves (100 m(-1) km) play a major role, while submesoscale (similar to 1-20 km) and mesoscale (similar to 20-100 km) turbulence have a comparatively modest effect. Predicted changes in surface stratification due to global change are expected to have an impact on the number and intensity of physical structures and thus biological interactions from plankton to top predators. specialized PEROU PACIFIQUE 036 020 5 5239 [9 ] 2014 2041-1723 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063633 10.1038/ncomms6239 2041-1723 [F B010063633] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063633 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers17-10/010063633.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2015-02-02 2021-01-24 fdi:010063633 fre