Phytoplankton of the North Sea and its dynamics: A review

Reid, Philip C.; Lancelot, Christiane; Gieskes, W.W.C.; Hagmeier, Erik; Weichart, Günter

doi:10.1016/0077-7579(90)90094-w

Cited by 200 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…This is because many of the minute, naked nanoflagellates tend to disrupt by fixation, which is well-known from the literature (e. g. Reid et al, 1990). Among the successfully preserved nanoflageUates, many might disintegrate later after some period of storage, but we have insufficient evidence of this effect in order to evaluate the present data: in the first half of the series, part of the plankton samples were stored for considerable (but varying) periods, contrary to the second half of the time-series, when plankton samples were stored for only a few days.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

The human impact in the German Bight: Eutrophication during three decades (1962–1991)

Hickel

Mangelsdorf

Berg

1993

Helgolander Meeresunters

131

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The human impact in the German Bight, in the form of anthropogenic eutrophication, has been documented by a 30-year time-series measurement near the island of Helgoland. Since 1962, the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland has measured inorganic nutrients and phytoplankton abundance from daffy samples at Helgoland Roads, a position 60 km off the main source of eutrophication, the River Elbe. Since the early 'sixties, phosphate concentrations rose for about a decade, levelling off to about twice the former concentrations for another decade, and then decreasing (since 1982) as a result of phosphate-reducing measures. Nitrate concentrations, however, have only increased since 1980/81, following Elbe river flood events. In 1987, three times the former concentrations were reached. A decrease has been observed only since 1991. This different development of phosphorus and nitrogen eutrophication led to a shift of inorganic N/P-ratios in the German Bight. The phosphate increase was more pronounced in the late summer "regeneration mode" conditions, the nitrate increase in the winter months. The eutrophication is not restricted to the inner German Bight and coastal waters of a salinity of < 33, but has also occurred in more saline waters at S > 33 psu (practical salinity unit), as characteristic for the outer German Bight. In this more saline water, phosphate and nitrate maximum levels occurred three years later, compared with the average Helgoland data, which are more representative of the inner German Bight. It is suggested that suspended particulate organic matter, as a long-distance carrier of nutrients, might have caused this delayed eutrophication in the outer German Bight waters. While the human impact is obvious as to nutrient concentrations, it is less obvious in phytoplankton stock enhancement. A general increase in phytoplankton biomass (about 3-4 times) was found, but this was mainly due to unidentified nanoflagellates of unknown trophic state, and subject to methodological errors. The causal relationships of phytoplankton stocks and eutrophication are not clearly understood, as natural variability is large and hydrographical factors possibly dominate. Additional nutrient input by Elbe river floods did not always result in elevated phytoplankton stocks near Helgoland, while extended periods of vertical density stratification of the German Bight water caused large plankton blooms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

The human impact in the German Bight: Eutrophication during three decades (1962–1991)

Hickel

Mangelsdorf

Berg

1993

Helgolander Meeresunters

131

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“…Under stratified, oligotrophic conditions they have competitive advantages over diatoms (Fogg, 1991) because they require no silicon for cell wall formation and are able to exploit nutrient rich water near or below the thermocline due to diurnal migrations (Cullen, 1985;MacIntyre et al, 1997). Especially the genus Ceratium was frequently abundant and has contributed to biomass, which is a typical feature of the North Sea in the second half of the year (Reid et al, 1990, see also various datasets of the Helgoland Roads time series at www.pangaea.de).…”

Section: Taxonomic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2), which lies with a value of approx. 38 in the range between 20 and 50 found for healthy cells of diatoms, dinoflagellates, and microflagellates in the North Sea (Reid et al, 1990).…”

Section: Biomass Distribution and Contribution Of Size Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information is available regarding seasonal succession patterns (Hagmeier and Bauerfeind, 1990;Reid et al, 1990), response to environmental factors (Freund et al, 2012;Gillbricht, 1988;Hickel, 1998;Schlüter et al, 2012), and biodiversity (Hoppenrath, 2004;Hoppenrath et al, 2007;Wiltshire and Dürselen, 2004). However, since most of this information is based on microscopic observation, it covers mainly the microphytoplankton (20-200 μm).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The North Sea is an example for a highly utilized coastal area (Ducrotoy et al, 2000), and a lot of knowledge has been collected about the structure and variability of its phytoplankton community, either due to long lasting time series or due to occasional research cruises (Reid et al, 1990;Tillmann and Rick, 2003;Wiltshire et al, 2010). Information is available regarding seasonal succession patterns (Hagmeier and Bauerfeind, 1990;Reid et al, 1990), response to environmental factors (Freund et al, 2012;Gillbricht, 1988;Hickel, 1998;Schlüter et al, 2012), and biodiversity (Hoppenrath, 2004;Hoppenrath et al, 2007;Wiltshire and Dürselen, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of phytoplankton distribution and community structure in the German Bight with respect to the different size classes

Wollschläger

Wiltshire

Petersen

et al. 2015

Journal of Sea Research

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Investigation of phytoplankton biodiversity, ecology, and biogeography is crucial for understanding marine ecosystems. Research is often carried out on the basis of microscopic observations, but due to the limitations of this approach regarding detection and identification of picophytoplankton (0.2-2 μm) and nanophytoplankton (2-20 μm), these investigations are mainly focused on the microphytoplankton (20-200 μm). In the last decades, various methods based on optical and molecular biological approaches have evolved which enable a more rapid and convenient analysis of phytoplankton samples and a more detailed assessment of small phytoplankton. In this study, a selection of these methods (in situ fluorescence, flow cytometry, genetic fingerprinting, and DNA microarray) was placed in complement to light microscopy and HPLC-based pigment analysis to investigate both biomass distribution and community structure of phytoplankton. As far as possible, the size classes were analyzed separately. Investigations were carried out on six cruises in the German Bight in 2010 and 2011 to analyze both spatial and seasonal variability. Microphytoplankton was identified as the major contributor to biomass in all seasons, followed by the nanophytoplankton. Generally, biomass distribution was patchy, but the overall contribution of small phytoplankton was higher in offshore areas and also in areas exhibiting higher turbidity. Regarding temporal development of the community, differences between the small phytoplankton community and the microphytoplankton were found. The latter exhibited a seasonal pattern regarding number of taxa present, alphaand beta-diversity, and community structure, while for the nano-and especially the picophytoplankton, a general shift in the community between both years was observable without seasonality. Although the reason for this shift remains unclear, the results imply a different response of large and small phytoplankton to environmental influences.

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How larval traits of six flatfish species impact connectivity

Barbut

Crego

Delerue-Ricard

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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Connectivity and dispersal are important factors for ecosystem dynamics, conservation, and resource management. Dispersal and recruitment success are determined in early life for many marine species. For those larvae that are pelagic, transport from spawning to nursery grounds is driven by hydrodynamic processes. Other environmental factors such as temperature and biological factors such as ecophysiology, behavior, and reproductive strategy (spawning period and spawning grounds) influence the final dispersal pattern and larval survival. We utilized a Lagrangian particle tracking model coupled with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model (Larvae&Co) to assess the connectivity patterns between spawning and nursery grounds of six commercially exploited flatfish species in the North Sea over a 10-yr period (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). Standardized analyses have highlighted how spawning and nursery grounds are connected under the combined pressure of environment and life-history traits. Results showed that the six flatfishes can be divided in two groups, each with their specific connectivity patterns. Turbot, common sole, and brill live in two subpopulations in the North Sea; common dab, European flounder, and European plaice represent a single mixed population. In general, the modeled and genetic patterns match, hence showing the strong impact of larval connectivity. The large overlap in connectivity for species that spawn during the same period and the seasonal change in hydrodynamics highlight the strong impact of a summer front in larval dispersal. Our results prove that individual-based modeling is a powerful tool to guide resource management, even in cases of limited biological information.

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Phytoplankton of the North Sea and its dynamics: A review

Cited by 200 publications

References 80 publications

The human impact in the German Bight: Eutrophication during three decades (1962–1991)

The human impact in the German Bight: Eutrophication during three decades (1962–1991)

Analysis of phytoplankton distribution and community structure in the German Bight with respect to the different size classes

How larval traits of six flatfish species impact connectivity

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