Seasonal succession and growth in the plankton communities of the Gulf of Riga in relation to long-term nutrient dynamics

To study temporal changes in phyto- and zooplankton in the Gulf of Riga monitoring data covering the period of 1972–1995 were analyzed. Changes in external nutrient supply have turned P limitation, during the 1980s, into the present deficiency of Si for the spring bloom. Contrary to depletion of the N and Si pools, the internal sources and sinks were responsible for input of P into the pelagic ecosystem in the 1990s. Restructuring of the nutrient pool reshaped the pelagic planktonic communities. Changes of the species composition and food-web relationships occurred. Till the 1990s, an increase of diatoms in the summer phytoplankton and an increase of herbivores in zooplankton took place. La…