Factors governing phytoplankton biomass and production in tropical estuaries of western Taiwan

Pan, Ching-Wen; Chuang, Yi-Li; Chou, Lien‐Siang; Chen, Meng‐Hsien; Lin, Hsing‐Juh

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2016.02.015

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Phytoplankton NP rates were much greater in Ex than in Ez and Dm. The NP rates in Ez and Dm were negative due to the very high respiration rates [18], suggesting that both systems were heterotrophic. Therefore, more organic matter in the systems was consumed than was produced by phytoplankton.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The wet season is from April to September, and the dry season lasts from October to March. According to the water quality data of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Taiwan (2012–2013) and our own prior research [18], the mean suspended solid concentration and turbidity in Ez reached 894.7 mg L -1 and 11.7 NTU due to the high content of slate clay in the river. The mean concentrations of NH 4 , NO x (NO 2 +NO 3 ), and total phosphorus (TP) in Ez were 4.29, 12.89, and 5.24 μM, respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mean suspended solid concentration and turbidity was much lower (168.2 mg L -1 and 7.2 NTU) in Ex, but the mean nutrient concentrations were higher (the concentrations of NH 4 , NO x , and TP were 219.6, 96.5, and 7.81 μM, respectively) because of the deposition of piggery sewage in the catchment of Ex. The offshore site Dm was relatively less influenced by the catchment runoff [18]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The phytoplankton biomass and productivity data were derived from our own prior research in the study areas [18]. Phytoplankton biomass, in terms of chlorophyll a (CHL a ) concentration (corrected for phaeopigment), was determined on a Turner fluorometer (Trilogy, Turner Design, USA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To explore the reasons underlying the abundance of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Ex and to evaluate its trophic significance, we constructed trophic models of these two tropical estuaries (Ex and Ez) and compared them to an offshore site (Dm) in Western Taiwan. We hypothesized that the higher phytoplankton production in Ex [18] may have led to a higher abundance of prey species of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, and consequently higher abundance of the dolphins themselves.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Trophic Significance of the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis, in Western Taiwan

et al. 2016

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Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) have attracted considerable attention due to their critically endangered status and related conservation issues, but their trophic relationships and ecological significance in coastal ecosystems are poorly understood. For instance, this species is noticeably more abundant in the Xin-Huwei River Estuary (Ex) of Western Taiwan than in the nearby Zhuoshui River Estuary (Ez), though it is unclear why the distribution shows such partitioning. To explore this topic, we conducted field surveys seasonally for two years from 2012 to 2013 and constructed Ecopath models of Ex, Ez, and an offshore site (Dm) to compare energy flow within the food webs. Model comparisons showed that the availability of food resources was the main factor influencing the biomass of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Specifically, its more frequent occurrence in Ex can be attributed to greater phytoplankton production and greater biomasses of macroinvertebrates and prey fish than in the other two areas. An increase in fishing activity might decrease the food availability and, consequently, the biomass of the dolphins. Although the decline in the dolphin population would increase the biomass of some prey fish species, local fishermen might not necessarily benefit from the decline due to the concurrent decrease of highly valued crabs and shrimp. Collectively, our work suggests that the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is a keystone species in tropical coastal waters of Taiwan, and thereby exhibit a disproportional large ecological impact given their relatively low abundance.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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