Mesozooplankton biomass and copepod estimated production in a temperate estuary (Mondego estuary): effects of processes operating at different timescales

Gonçalves, D.; Marques, Sónia Cotrim; Primo, Ana Lígia; Martinho, Filipe; Bordalo, Maria D.; Pardal, Miguel Ângelo

doi:10.1186/s40555-015-0135-6

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Chlorophyll a values measured in the Lima estuary (0.96-17.04 mg m −3 ) were within the range found in other temperate systems [34][35][36]. During the spring and summer seasons, chlorophyll a concentrations were substantially higher than during the winter and fall ( Table 1).…”

Section: Chlorophyll a And Bacteria Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 72%

Coupling between Hydrodynamics and Chlorophyll a and Bacteria in a Temperate Estuary: A Box Model Approach

Fernandes

Teixeira

Bordalo

2019

Water

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The spatial patterns of chlorophyll a and bacteria were assessed in a temperate Atlantic tidal estuary during seasonal surveys, as well as in consecutive summer spring and neap tides. A box model approach was used to better understand spatial and temporal dynamics of these key estuarine descriptors. The Lima estuary (NW Portugal) was divided into boxes controlled by salinity and freshwater discharge and balance equations were derived for each variable, enabling the calculation of horizontal and vertical fluxes of plankton and, therefore, production or consumption rates. Chlorophyll a tended to burst within the oligohaline zone, whereas higher counts of bacteria were found in the mesohaline stretch. Whenever the water column was stratified, similar tide-independent trends were found for chlorophyll a and bacterial fluxes, with net growth in the upper less saline boxes, and consumption beneath the halocline. In the non-stratified upper estuary, other controls emerged for chlorophyll a and bacteria, such as nitrogen and carbon inputs, respectively. The presented results show that, while tidal hydrodynamics influenced plankton variability, production/consumption rates resulted from the interaction of additional factors, namely estuarine geomorphological characteristics and nutrient inputs. In complex estuarine systems, the rather simple box model approach remains a useful tool in the task of understanding the coupling between hydrodynamics and the behavior of plankton, emerging as a contribution toward the management of estuarine systems.

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Section: Chlorophyll a And Bacteria Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 72%

Coupling between Hydrodynamics and Chlorophyll a and Bacteria in a Temperate Estuary: A Box Model Approach

Fernandes

Teixeira

Bordalo

2019

Water

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“…For estimation of zooplankton biomass, representing zooplankton secondary productivity (Gonçalves et al., 2015; Guerrero & Rodríguez, 1997; Kang et al., 2009; Uye et al., 1998), 1‐L water samples for zooplankton were first quantified and separated into two subsamples. Each subsample was then condensed to 150 mL using a CO 2 ‐effervescing agent for biomass analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen subsidies to pelagic food webs through profundal methane‐oxidising bacteria in oligotrophic fresh water

dela Paz,

Okuda,

et al. 2024

Freshwater Biology

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Nutrient subsidy of methane‐oxidising bacteria (MOB), an alternative basal resource, to plankton communities through pelagic‐benthic coupling is expected to alter carbon‐to‐nitrogen (C/N) ratios and biomass of zooplankton, and affect biological processes in aquatic food webs. Previous studies indicate that most MOB nutrient subsidies to zooplankton are focused largely on C subsidies; nevertheless, considering that N is important to zooplankton and phytoplankton growth, a better understanding of MOB N subsidies to plankton communities is needed. We examined changes in nutrients, phytoplankton mass‐specific productivity, MOB reliance, C/N ratios and biomass of zooplankton between summer stratification and winter mixing periods based on in situ investigation in a subtropical deep oligotrophic freshwater ecosystem during 2010–2014. The results revealed that with increasing reliance on MOB during the winter mixing period, zooplankton C/N ratios decreased and had a significantly nonlinearly inverse relationship with zooplankton biomass. The negative relationship between zooplankton biomass and phytoplankton mass‐specific productivity was further observed in synchronous time. The profundal MOB enhanced pelagic‐profundal coupling and served as an alternative N support for pelagic plankton food webs during the winter and/or less productive seasons, adding to greater understanding of the role of methanotrophs in aquatic food webs.

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“…Zooplankton biomass (ZB), representing zooplankton standing stocks governing the accumulation of biomass (Gonçalves et al., 2015; Guerrero & Rodríguez, 1997; Uye et al., 1998), was measured by direct estimation of organic carbon mass using taxon‐specific dry weight. Each zooplankton sample was subjected to two subsamples, condensed to 120 ml with a CO 2 effervescing fixative agent, stored at 4°C for 1 hr, and preserved with a 2% formalin solution.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical cyclone effects enhance limnetic plankton trophic‐level relationships in a subtropical oligotrophic freshwater ecosystem

dela Paz,

Lin,

Chang

et al. 2023

Freshwater Biology

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Tropical cyclones (TCs), as natural extreme weather events, alter plankton and hydrological environments, affecting the stability of biological processes in freshwater ecosystems, and such TC effects vary with water depths. Previous studies have found increased phytoplankton biomass resulting from TC effects has been observed, leading to potential strong grazing of zooplankton and enhanced plankton trophic‐level relationships. However, this remains understudied, particularly under in situ conditions. Using a zooplankton to phytoplankton (ZB/PB) ratio to represent the plankton trophic‐level relationship, we estimated the ZB/PB ratios at various depth intervals, including surface (2 m depth) and euphotic (depths between 0 and 20 m) depths and depth layer 0–50 m (depths between 0 and 50 m), in a subtropical deep oligotrophic freshwater ecosystem from 2012 to 2015 to understand how TC effects would influence changes in the ZB/PB ratio variations. TCs affected the surface and euphotic ZB/PB ratios but not those at the depth layer 0–50 m. The TC durations had an initially negative and then positive impact on the surface ZB/PB ratio, indicating that slow‐moving TCs might restructure surface plankton trophic‐level relationships. The water temperature and nutrient dynamics during the TC weeks showed the highest correlations with the ZB/PB ratios at the surface and euphotic depths. The combined environmental effects influenced the ZB/PB ratios at the surface and euphotic depths during the TC weeks, with 65.1% and 72.2% of the total variations explained in the multivariate regressions, respectively. There were greater impacts of TCs in shallow water (surface and euphotic depth) than in deep water. Aquatic food chains may be unexpectedly vulnerable to natural extreme weather events, such as TCs, and continuous assessments of food chain dynamics are necessary to better manage potential risks from natural extreme weather events in freshwater ecosystems.

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Mesozooplankton biomass and copepod estimated production in a temperate estuary (Mondego estuary): effects of processes operating at different timescales

Cited by 10 publications

References 53 publications

Coupling between Hydrodynamics and Chlorophyll a and Bacteria in a Temperate Estuary: A Box Model Approach

Coupling between Hydrodynamics and Chlorophyll a and Bacteria in a Temperate Estuary: A Box Model Approach

Nitrogen subsidies to pelagic food webs through profundal methane‐oxidising bacteria in oligotrophic fresh water

Tropical cyclone effects enhance limnetic plankton trophic‐level relationships in a subtropical oligotrophic freshwater ecosystem

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