Estuaries of the South Atlantic Coast of North America: Their Geographical Signatures

Dame, Richard F.; Alber, Merryl; Allen, Dennis M.; Mallin, Michael A.; Montague, Clay L.; Lewitus, Alan J.; Chalmers, A. G.; Gardner, R. L.; Gilman, Craig; Kjerfve, Björn; Pinckney, James L.; Smith, Ned P.

doi:10.2307/1352999

Cited by 170 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 100 publications

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“…A comparison of NI and ACE Basin pigment patterns indicated that the annual phytoplankton bloom occurred earlier in the ACE Basin estuary (spring) than in the NI estuary (summer), which may have reflected a greater influence of allochthonous environmental inputs, including NO 3 and PO 4 loading. We suggest that increased nutrient loading in tidally dominated high-salinity salt marsh estuaries may result not only in increases in phytoplankton biomass but also in a change in bloom properties from a predominance of summer blooms characterized by microbial loop dynamics (regulation by microzooplankton grazing and regenerated nutrients) to a predominance of spring blooms controlled by the availability of new nutrients (12,13,35). Evidence from pigment profiles also indicated that there were interestuary differences in the phytoplankton bloom community composition (although we hesitate to extrapolate to taxonomic composition until confirmatory microscopy is performed) and pigment group persistence or variability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting Patterns of Phytoplankton Community Pigment Composition in Two Salt Marsh Estuaries in Southeastern United States

Noble

Tymowski²,

Fletcher

et al. 2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Phytoplankton community pigment composition and water quality were measured seasonally along salinity gradients in two minimally urbanized salt marsh estuaries in South Carolina in order to examine their spatial and temporal distributions. The North Inlet estuary has a relatively small watershed with minimal fresh water input, while the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto (ACE) Basin is characterized by a relatively greater influence of riverine drainage. Sampling stations were located in regions of the estuaries experiencing frequent diurnal tidal mixing and had similar salinity and temperature regimens. Phytoplankton community pigment composition was assessed by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and multivariate statistical analyses. Shannon diversity index, principal-component, and cluster analyses revealed that phytoplankton community pigments in both estuaries were seasonally variable, with similar diversities but different compositions. The temporal pigment patterns indicated that there was a relatively weak correlation between the pigments in ACE Basin and the relative persistence of photopigment groups in North Inlet. The differences were presumably a consequence of the unpredictability and relatively greater influence of river discharge in the ACE Basin, in contrast to the greater environmental predictability of the more tidally influenced North Inlet. Furthermore, the timing, magnitude, and pigment composition of the annual phytoplankton bloom were different in the two estuaries. The bloom properties in North Inlet reflected the predominance of autochthonous ecological control (e.g., regenerated nutrients, grazing), and those in ACE Basin suggested that there was greater influence of allochthonous environmental factors (e.g., nutrient loading, changes in turbidity). These interestuarine differences in phytoplankton community structure and control provide insight into the organization of phytoplankton in estuaries.Processes and mechanisms that determine the spatial and temporal patterns of phytoplankton have been a central focus of marine research for decades. This research has led to the identification of biotic and abiotic factors that regulate primary productivity and the development of models that describe phytoplankton growth dynamics under specific environmental conditions (4). Phytoplankton communities are multispecies communities which are highly complex in terms of their diversity and dynamics. Successional shifts in phytoplankton community structure are primarily due to changes in environmental variables (e.g., degree or type of nutrient limitation) and/or shifts in higher trophic levels (e.g., micro-versus mesozooplankton) (23,35,40,54,56). How phytoplankton community composition changes with environmental variables and/or preferential grazing by herbivores is not well understood, particularly in estuarine ecosystems. Identifying the ecological variables that regulate phytoplankton community structure is essential for facilitating the development of broad hypotheses underlying our...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting Patterns of Phytoplankton Community Pigment Composition in Two Salt Marsh Estuaries in Southeastern United States

Noble

Tymowski²,

Fletcher

et al. 2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…The prevalence and diversity of tdh, trh, and tlh in strains isolated from the pristine North Inlet, SC, estuary (22,23) were examined using two newly designed (C. R. Lovell and C. K. Gutierrez West, U.S. patent application PCT/US12/53824) and three commonly used sets of PCR primers (5) ( Table 1). High proportions of V. parahaemolyticus strains from this system carried one or more toxin genes, and the similarities of these toxin gene sequences to those from clinical isolates were high.…”

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confidence: 99%

High Frequency of Virulence Factor Genes tdh , trh , and tlh in Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains Isolated from a Pristine Estuary

West

Klein

Lovell

2013

Appl Environ Microbiol

138

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Virulence factor genes encoding the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) and the thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin (trh) are strongly correlated with virulence of the emergent human pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The gene encoding the thermolabile hemolysin (tlh) is also considered a signature molecular marker for the species. These genes are typically reported in very low percentages (1 to 2%) of nonclinical strains. V. parahaemolyticus strains were isolated from various niches within a pristine estuary (North Inlet, SC) and were screened for these genes using both newly designed PCR primers and more commonly used primers. DNA sequences of tdh and trh were recovered from 48% and 8.3%, respectively, of these North Inlet strains. The recovery of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains in such high proportions from an estuarine ecosystem that is virtually free of anthropogenic influences indicates the potential for additional, perhaps environmental roles of the tdh and trh genes.

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“…It can be very turbid (Table 2) and carries a significant anthropogenic nutrient load from the Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain (Table 3; Dame et al 2000). The lower river and estuary are considered to be moderately eutrophic (Bricker et al 1999) and classified as impaired by low DO concentrations (NCDEHNR 2000).…”

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confidence: 99%

Factors contributing to hypoxia in rivers, lakes, and streams

Mallin

Johnson

Ensign

et al. 2006

Limnology & Oceanography

162

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We investigated physical, chemical, and biological variables contributing to biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in 17 North Carolina lotic and lentic water bodies affected by mild to severe hypoxia. Phytoplankton production created the dominant reservoir of labile carbon driving BOD, and subsequent hypoxia, in a Piedmont river subject to algal blooms, three urban streams, a set of anthropogenically affected tidal creeks, and two urban lakes. Autotrophic phytoplankton production contributed to the BOD load in some rural streams. Autochthonous heterotrophic processes, stimulated primarily by phosphorus and secondarily by nitrogen loading, were the major influences on BOD in two large black water rivers and some rural black water streams. Inputs of biochemical oxygen-demanding materials from storm water runoff contribute to BOD in some urban and rural streams and black water rivers. We suggest that reductions of hypoxia can be better achieved by a system-specific approach based on an array of factors that potentially influence BOD, including both autochthonous and allochthonous variables. In some circumstances targeting the nutrient(s) stimulating phytoplankton blooms will suffice to reduce hypoxia, but in other situations targeting nutrient(s) limiting bacterial production will be necessary. Reduction of non-point source inputs of biochemical oxygen-demanding materials derived from urbanization or other land disrupting activities will be critical in some cases.

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Estuaries of the South Atlantic Coast of North America: Their Geographical Signatures

Cited by 170 publications

References 100 publications

Contrasting Patterns of Phytoplankton Community Pigment Composition in Two Salt Marsh Estuaries in Southeastern United States

Contrasting Patterns of Phytoplankton Community Pigment Composition in Two Salt Marsh Estuaries in Southeastern United States

High Frequency of Virulence Factor Genes tdh , trh , and tlh in Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains Isolated from a Pristine Estuary

Factors contributing to hypoxia in rivers, lakes, and streams

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