No abstract

Species composition and seasonal changes in macroalgal blooms in six coastal lagoons highly impacted by human activities were tracked for the three seasons between May 2004 and April 2005. Though temperatures were lower during the cold season than during the dry and rainy seasons and some locations showed variations in salinity during the rainy season, nutrient concentrations showed no defined pattern and varied according to season and location. A total of 10 seaweed species and the cyanobacterium Microcoleus lyngbyaceus had biomasses)1 g m-2 dry weight, but only four species represented)1% of the annual biomass. During the dry season, Spyridia filamentosa had the highest biomass (57.5 g m-2). During the rainy season, Gracilaria vermiculophylla was the most conspicuous and abundant species (64.0-291.0 g m-2) and during the cold season, Caulerpa sertularioides had the highest biomass (180.1 g m-2). Abundances of these species were higher than previously reported for this region. Correlation analyses showed a positive correlation between total phosphorus and the biomass of G. vermiculophylla, suggesting that this nutrient might be limiting its growth. C. sertularioides abundance had a positive correlation with N:P ratios, suggesting that high concentrations of nitrogen relative to low phosphorus levels favor its growth. These analyses revealed that nutrient concentrations are most likely to affect macroalgal growth, but temperature and salinity also play a role. This information may be useful for monitoring future blooms and determining changes over time.

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In our research, we collected and analyzed numerous macroalgal specimens (738) for isotopic analysis sampled over a year at monthly intervals across 20 sites within the Urías lagoon complex, a typical subtropical coastal ecosystem located in the Gulf of California. We quantified and characterized (chemically and isotopically) the N loads received by Urías throughout a year. We studied the spatial-temporal variation of the chemical forms and isotopic signals of the available N in the water column, and we monitored in situ different environmental variables and other hydrodynamic parameters. Multiple N sources (e.g., atmospheric, sewage, seafood processing, agriculture and aquaculture effluents) and biogeochemical reactions related to the N cycle (e.g., ammonia volatilization, nitrification and denitrification) co-occurring across the ecosystem, result in a mixture of chemical species and isotopic compositions of available N in the water column. Increased variability was observed in the δ(15) N values of macroalgae (0.41‰-22.67‰). Based on our results, the variation in δ(15) N was best explained by spatio-temporal changes in available N and not necessarily related to the N sources. The variability was also explained by the differences in macroalgal biology among functional groups, species and/or individuals. Although the δ(15) N-macroalgae technique was a useful tool to identify N sources, its application in coastal ecosystems receiving multiple N sources, with changing environmental conditions influencing biogeochemical processes, and high diversity of ephemeral macroalgal species, could be less sensitive and have less predictive power.