Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Can Pseudocalanus newmani induce trophic cascades?     

Andrew W. Leising  James J. Pierson  Claudia Halsband-Lenk  Rita Horner  James Postel 《Progress in Oceanography》2005,67(3-4):406

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24 two- to three-day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. Here, we discuss the results of our grazing experiments for P. newmani. Each week, we conducted traditional microzooplankton dilution experiments and “copepod dilution” experiments, each from two different layers. Grazing was measured by changes in chlorophyll concentration and direct cell counts. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that Pseudocalanus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher grazing rates on individual taxa than calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. The grazing rates of the copepods, however, are typically an order of magnitude lower than the grazing rates of the microzooplankton community, or the growth rates of the phytoplankton. P. newmani ingested diatoms, but, at certain times fed preferentially on microzooplankton, such as ciliates, tintinnids, and larger dinoflagellates. Removal of the microzooplankton may have released the other phytoplankton species from grazing pressure, allowing those species’ abundance to increase, which was measured as an apparent “negative” grazing on those phytoplankton species. The net result of grazing on some phytoplankton species, while simultaneously releasing others from grazing pressure resulted in bulk chlorophyll-derived estimates of grazing which were essentially zero or slightly negative; thus bulk chlorophyll disappearance is a poor indicator of copepod grazing. Whether copepods can significantly release phytoplankton from the grazing pressure by microzooplankton in situ, thus causing a trophic cascade, remains to be verified, but is suggested by our study.  相似文献   

Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Does Calanus pacificus avoid harmful diatoms?     

Andrew W. Leising  James J. Pierson  Claudia Halsband-Lenk  Rita Horner  James Postel 《Progress in Oceanography》2005,67(3-4):384

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24, 2–3 day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. The results of the copepod grazing experiments for C. pacificus are discussed here. Each week, copepod grazing incubation experiments from two different depth layers were conducted. Grazing was measured by both changes in chlorophyll concentration and cell counts. In 2002, there was one moderate bloom consisting mainly of Thalassiosira spp. in early February, and a larger bloom in April comprised of two Chaetoceros species and Phaeocystis sp. Similarly, in 2003, there were two blooms, an early one dominated by Thalassiosira spp., and a later one consisting of Chaetoceros spp. and Thalassiosira spp. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that C. pacificus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher clearance rates on individual taxa than rates calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. During weeks of high phytoplankton concentration, the copepods generally ate phytoplankton. However, they often rejected the most abundant phytoplankton species, particularly certain Thalassiosira spp., even though the rejected prey were often of the same genus and similar size to the preferred prey. It is speculated that this avoidance may be related to the possible deleterious effects that certain of these diatom species have on the reproductive success of these copepods. During weeks of medium to low phytoplankton concentration, the copepods selectively ate certain species of phytoplankton, and often had high electivity for microzooplankton. The selection mechanism must consist of active particle rejection most likely based on detection of surface chemical properties, since the diatoms that were selected were of the same genus, nearly the same size, and at lower numerical abundance than those cells that were avoided. The grazing choices made by these copepods may have important consequences for the overall ecosystem function within coastal and estuarine systems through changes in the transfer efficiency of energy to higher trophic levels.  相似文献   

Environmental controls on phytoplankton community composition in the Thames plume, U.K.   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Keith Weston  Naomi Greenwood  Liam Fernand  David J. Pearce  David B. Sivyer 《Journal of Sea Research》2008,60(4):246-254

The aim of this study was to investigate controls on the phytoplankton community composition and biogeochemistry of the estuarine plume zone of the River Thames, U.K. using an instrumented moored buoy for in situ measurements and preserved sample collection, and laboratory-based measurements from samples collected at the same site. Instrumentation on the moored buoy enabled high frequency measurements of a suite of environmental variables including in situ chlorophyll, water-column integrated irradiance, macronutrients throughout an annual cycle for 2001 e.g. nitrate and silicate, and phytoplankton biomass and species composition. The Thames plume region acts as a conduit for fluvial nutrients into the wider southern North Sea with typical winter concentrations of 45 μM nitrate, 17 μM silicate and 2 μM phosphate measured. The spring bloom resulted from water-column integrated irradiance increasing above 60 W h m^− 2 d^− 1 and was initially dominated by a diatom bloom mainly composed of Nitzschia sp. and Odontella sinesis. The spring bloom then switched after  30 days to become dominated by the flagellate Phaeocystis reaching a maximum chlorophyll concentration of 37.8 μg L^− 1. During the spring bloom there were high numbers of the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Gyrodinium spirale and Katodinium glaucum that potentially grazed the phytoplankton bloom. This diatom–flagellate switch was predicted to be due to a combination of further increasing water-column integrated irradiance > 100 W h m^− 2 d^− 1 and/or silicate reaching potentially limiting concentrations (< 1 μM). Post spring bloom, diatom dominance of the lower continuous summer phytoplankton biomass occurred despite the low silicate concentrations (Av. 0.7 μM from June–August). Summer diatom dominance, generally due to Guinardia delicatula, was expected to be as a result of microzooplankton grazing, dominated by the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans, controlling 0.7–5.0 μm ‘flagellate’ fraction of the phytoplankton community with grazing rates up to 178% of ‘flagellate’ growth rate. The Thames plume region was therefore shown to be an active region of nutrient and phytoplankton processing and transport to the southern North Sea. The use of a combination of moorings and ship-based sampling was essential in understanding the factors influencing nutrient transport, phytoplankton biomass and species composition in this shelf sea plume region.  相似文献   

九龙江口春季微型浮游生物数量变动及其与小型水母消长的关系   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

黄旭光  郭东晖  肖武鹏  郭卫东  黄邦钦 《海洋与湖沼》2012,43(3):579-583

通过2011年春季对九龙江口的生态调查,对浮游植物、微型浮游动物以及小型水母的种类组成和数量变动特征并对分粒级叶绿素进行了研究,同时还分析了营养盐、温度和盐度等环境参数。调查共记录浮游植物种类45种,以硅藻门的中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)、颗粒直链藻(Melosira granulate)、针杆藻(Synedra spp.),以及绿藻门的斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)、甲藻门的微小亚历山大藻(Alexandrium minutum),蓝藻门的优美平裂藻(Merismopedia elegans)具有较高的检出率;微型浮游动物分为4大类,红色中缢虫(Mesodinium rubrum)占有最大的比例为55.5%-79.8%,无壳纤毛虫次之,砂壳纤毛虫和无节幼体所占的比例均不足10%;小型水母种类组成中主要以弗洲指突水母(Blackfordia virginica)、球型侧腕水母(Pleurobrachia globosa)、厦门和平水母(Eirene xiamenensis)以及水螅水母幼体(Hydroidomedusae larvae)为主要优势类群,占小型水母总量的85%以上。小型水母数量在4月底和5月初达到丰度最高值(69.49±29.4)ind/L,此时微型浮游动物数量从小型水母出现初期的峰值(1085±574.66)ind/L下降为(526±152.93)ind/L,同时micro级叶绿素占总叶绿素比例达到最大值(42.26±12.94)%。小型水母数量下降后,微型浮游动物的数量回升。在小型水母数量消长过程中,浮游植物、微型浮游动物和小型水母数量间处于动态平衡。  相似文献   

Seasonal variation of microzooplankton (20–200 μm) and its possible implications on the vertical carbon flux in the western Bay of Bengal     

R. Jyothibabu  N.V. Madhu  P.A. Maheswaran  K.V. Jayalakshmy  K.K.C. Nair  C.T. Achuthankutty 《Continental Shelf Research》2008

Stratification (throughout the year) and low solar radiation (during monsoon periods) have caused low chlorophyll a and primary production (seasonal average 13–18 mg m⁻² and 242–265 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively) in the western Bay of Bengal (BoB). The microzooplankton (MZP) community of BoB was numerically dominated by heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HDS) followed by ciliates (CTS). The highest MZP abundance (average 665±226×10⁴ m⁻²), biomass (average 260±145 mg C m⁻²) and species diversity (Shannon weaver index 2.8±0.42 for CTS and 2.6±0.35 for HDS) have occurred during the spring intermonsoon (SIM). This might be due to high abundance of smaller phytoplankton in the western BoB during SIM as a consequence of intense stratification and nitrate limitation (nitracline at 60 m depth). The strong stratification during SIM was biologically evidenced by intense blooms of Trichodesmium erythraeum and frequent Synechococcus–HDS associations. The high abundance of smaller phytoplankton favors microbial food webs where photosynthetic carbon is channeled to higher trophic levels through MZP. This causes less efficient transfer of primary organic carbon to higher trophic levels than through the traditional food web. The microbial food web dominant in the western BoB during SIM might be responsible for the lowest mesozooplankton biomass observed (average 223 mg C m⁻²). The long residence time of the organic carbon in the surface waters due to the active herbivorous pathways of the microbial food web could be a causative factor for the low vertical flux of biogenic carbon during SIM.  相似文献   

The balance between microzooplankton grazing and phytoplankton growth in a highly productive estuarine fjord   总被引：1，自引：4，他引：1  

Andrew W. Leising  Rita Horner  James J. Pierson  James Postel  Claudia Halsband-Lenk 《Progress in Oceanography》2005,67(3-4):366

During 24, three-day cruises to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, from February 4 to April 26, 2002, and February 4 to May 1 2003, we examined the relative growth and grazing rates of phytoplankton and microzooplankton using dilution experiments. Experiments were conducted over two time intervals: 8–10 h during the nighttime only, or 24 h from noon to noon. We used water from two depths during each cruise: from the surface mixed layer, and from a deep layer below the seasonal thermocline. During 2002, there was one mid-sized bloom consisting mainly of Thalassiosira spp. in early February, and a larger bloom in April comprised of two Chaetoceros spp. and Phaeocystis sp. During 2003, there were also two blooms, one in early February, which was again dominated by Thalassiosira spp., and a second larger bloom in mid-April, comprised mainly of Thalassiosira spp. and Chaetoceros spp. During all four of these blooms, and for both water source depths, specific grazing rates of microzooplankton were most often as high or higher than the calculated phytoplankton specific growth rates. The major microzooplankton categories that could have accounted for this were (1) a large Gyrodinium spp., (2) a group of fusiform-shaped mid-sized Protoperidinium species, and (3) three loosely defined taxonomic groups consisting of naked ciliates, tintinnids, and unidentified heterotrophic dinoflagellates. Based on our measurements, it appears that the microzooplankton community grazing pressure can often exert significant control on phytoplankton biomass, even during the extremely productive spring bloom periods and under several different diatom-dominated bloom types. These results suggest that even in highly productive estuarine ecosystems, which are often nurseries to economically important fisheries species, microzooplankton play a critical role and may significantly alter the availability and efficiency of transfer of energy to higher trophic levels.  相似文献   

三亚湾夏秋两季微型浮游动物摄食研究     

苏强  黄良民  谭烨辉  王汉奎  董俊德  周伟华  胡友木 《海洋通报》2007,26(6):19-25

根据2005年8月和11月的调查资料,利用现场稀释法,以叶绿素a为检测对象,分别对三亚湾海区夏秋两季微型浮游动物的摄食情况进行研究。结果表明,夏秋两季浮游植物瞬时生长率(k)分别为0.9~1.32/d和1.81~3.30/d,而微型浮游动物的摄食率(g)则为0.85~1.79/d和1.29~2.57/d。对浮游植物现存量和初级生产力的摄食压力分别是,夏季为57.26%~83.30%和78.13%~140.38%,秋季为72.47%~92.35%和86.65%~97.90%。秋季微型浮游动物以微型浮游植物为其主要食物来源,其摄食率和对初级生产力的摄食压力最高,平均分别为1.09/d和107.98%;微型浮游植物的瞬时生长率也是最高的,平均为0.94/d,为浮游植物群体的主要组成部分。在三亚湾夏秋两季可把微型浮游动物作为控制浮游植物生长的重要影响因子之一,同时与秋季相比,夏季微型浮游动物在物质循环和能量流动方面起到更显著的作用。  相似文献   

Tintinnids (Ciliophora) and Other Net Microzooplankton (> 30 µm) in Southwestern Atlantic Shelf Break Waters     

Gustavo A. Thompson  Viviana A. Alder    & Demetrio Boltovskoy   《Marine Ecology》2001,22(4):343-355

Abstract. Proportions of foraminifers, tintinnids, polycystine radiolarians, pteropods and crustacean larval stages were estimated in a collection of 76 vertically stratified (0 – 100 m) 30 µm net microplankton samples from 16 stations along the Argentine shelf-slope (around 200 m isobath – between 40 and 56° S), covered on 13 – 18 November 1996. Tintinnids were identified to species. Relative abundances of the microzooplankton assessed and chlorophyll a values allow to define two contrasting groups of stations: 'deep' and 'shallow'. The former, located in pelagic, purely subantarctic Malvinas Current waters, hosted higher proportions of foraminifers and lower proportions of tintinnids, as well as less chlorophyll a (all differences were significant at the 0.1 % level). 'Shallow' stations were located in the area of the thermohaline front where the Patagonian Current comes in contact with the Malvinas Current, and were generally characterized by higher chlorophyll a levels (up to 3.7 µg Chl a  · l^–1). The distribution of tintinnid species, on the other hand, allowed no discrimination between these two areas, although some of the dominant forms showed much higher relative abundances in one of the two groups of stations. Twenty-six tintinnid taxa were recorded, yet only 6 accounted for 95 % of the specimens identified. Tintinnid taxocoenoses were characterized by a few abundant species and many rare ones. Numbers of tintinnid species and specific diversity did not differ noticeably with depth and latitude. Cape Horn Current waters were detected in the area by the presence of expatriated organisms presumably originating at mid-latitudes in the South Pacific Ocean.  相似文献   

Depth-stratified phytoplankton dynamics in Cyclone Opal, a subtropical mesoscale eddy     

Michael R. Landry  Susan L. Brown  Yoshimi M. Rii  Karen E. Selph  Robert R. Bidigare  Eun Jin Yang  Melinda P. Simmons 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2008,55(10-13):1348

As part of E-Flux III cruise studies in March 2005, we investigated phytoplankton community dynamics in a cyclonic cold-core eddy (Cyclone Opal) in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Experimental incubations were conducted under in situ temperature and light conditions on a drift array using a two-treatment dilution technique. Taxon-specific estimates of growth, grazing and production rates were obtained from analyses of incubation results based on phytoplankton pigments, flow cytometry and microscopy. Cyclone Opal was sampled at a biologically and physically mature state, with an 80–100 m doming of isopycnal surfaces in its central region and a deep biomass maximum of large diatoms. Depth-profile experimentation defined three main zones. The upper (mixed) zone (0–40 m), showed little compositional or biomass response to eddy nutrient enrichment, but growth, grazing and production rates were significantly enhanced in this layer relative to the ambient community outside of the eddy. Prochlorococcus spp. dominated the upper mixed layer, accounting for 50–60% of its estimated primary production both inside and outside of Opal. In contrast, the deep zone of 70–90 m showed little evidence of growth rate enhancement and was principally defined by a 100-fold increase of large (>20-μm) diatoms and a shift from Prochlorococcus to diatom dominance (80%) of production. The intermediate layer of 50–60 m marked the transition between the upper and lower extremes but also contained an elevated biomass of physiologically unhealthy diatoms with significantly depressed growth rates and proportionately greater grazing losses relative to diatoms above or below. Microzooplankton grazers consumed 58%, 65% and 55%, respectively, of the production of diatoms, Prochlorococcus and the total phytoplankton community in Cyclone Opal. The substantial grazing impact on diatoms suggests that efficient recycling was the major primary fate of diatom organic production, consistent with the low export fluxes and selective export of biogenic silica, as empty diatom frustules, in Cyclone Opal.  相似文献   

Seasonal variations and trophic ecology of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea     

C.R. Asha Devi  R. JyothibabuP. Sabu  Josia JacobH. Habeebrehman  M.P. PrabhakaranK.J. Jayalakshmi  C.T. Achuthankutty 《Continental Shelf Research》2010

The seasonal ecological response of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea is presented. During the spring intermonsoon period, stratification and depletion of nitrate in the surface waters (nitracline was at 60 m depth) cause low integrated chlorophyll a (av. 19±11.3 mg m⁻²) and primary production (av. 164±91 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹). On the other hand, nutrient enrichment associated with coastal upwelling and river influx during the onset and peak summer monsoon resulted in high integrated chlorophyll a (av. 21±6 mg m⁻² and av. 29±21 mg m⁻², respectively) and primary production (av. 255±94 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹ and av. 335±278 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively). During all three periods, diazotropic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum dominated in the nutrient depleted surface waters. A general increase in abundance of larger diatoms was evident in the surface waters of the inshore region during monsoon periods. The microzooplankton abundance was found to be significantly higher during the spring intermonsoon (av.241±113×10³ ind m⁻²) as compared to onset of summer monsoon (av. 105±89×10³ ind m⁻²) and peak summer monsoon (av.185±175×10³ ind m⁻²). Microzooplankton community during the spring intermonsoon was numerically dominated by ciliates while heterotrophic dinoflagellate was the dominant ones during the monsoon periods. The high abundance of ciliates during the spring intermonsoon could be attributed to the stratified environmental condition prevailed in the study area which favors high abundance of smaller phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, the most preferred food of ciliates. On the other hand, the dominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates during the monsoon periods could be linked to their ability to graze larger diatoms which were abundant during the monsoon periods. The overall results show low abundance of microzooplankton in the eastern Arabian Sea during the monsoon periods mainly due to a decline in ciliates abundance. This decline during the monsoon periods could be the result of (a) low abundance of smaller phytoplankton and (b) high stock of mesozooplankton predators (av. 245 ml 100 m⁻³).  相似文献