Characteristics and renewal of zooplankton communities under extreme environmental stresses in the oligotrophic hypersaline Arabian Gulf

•Arabian Gulf zooplankton were characterized by small-sized copepods with low density and biomass off Qatar peninsula.•The lowest density and diversity occurred in the hypersaline western waters, whereas the highest appeared in the northeast.•Zooplankton were not tightly associated with phytoplankton under the harsh environment.•Renewal from adjacent seas is the only option for Arabian Gulf zooplankton to sustain in light of climate change.