The Role of Zooplankton Grazing and Nutrient Loading in the Occurrence of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms in Florida Bay,USA |
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| Authors: | Jennifer A Goleski Florian Koch Maria A Marcoval Charles C Wall Frank J Jochem Bradley J Peterson Christopher J Gobler |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA;(2) Marine Biology Program, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181, USA; |
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| Abstract: | Florida Bay is Florida’s (USA) largest estuary and has experienced harmful picocyanobacteria blooms for nearly two decades.
While nutrient loading is the most commonly cited cause of algal blooms in Florida Bay, the role of zooplankton grazing pressure
in bloom occurrence has not been considered. For this study, the spatial and temporal dynamics of cyanobacteria blooms, the
microbial food web, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton grazing rates of picoplankton, and the effects of nutrients on plankton
groups in Florida Bay were quantified. During the study, cyanobacteria blooms (>3 × 105 cells mL−1) persisted in the eastern and central regions of Florida Bay for more than a year. Locations with elevated abundance of cyanobacteria
hosted microzooplankton grazing rates on cyanobacteria that were significantly lower (p < 0.001) and less frequently detectable compared to sites without blooms. Consistent with this observation, cyanobacteria
abundances were significantly correlated with ciliates and heterotrophic nanoflagellates at low cyanobacteria densities (p < 0.001) but were not correlated during bloom events. The experimental enrichment of mesozooplankton abundance during blooms
yielded a significant decrease in the net growth rate of picoplankton but had the opposite effect when blooms were absent,
suggesting that the cascading effect of mesozooplankton grazing on the microbial food web was also altered during blooms.
While inorganic nutrient enrichment significantly increased the net growth rates of eukaryotic phytoplankton and heterotrophic
bacteria, such nutrient loading had no effect on the net growth rates of cyanobacteria. Hence, this study demonstrates that
low rates of zooplankton grazing and low rates of inorganic nutrient loading contribute to the persistence of cyanobacteria
blooms in Florida Bay. |
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