Search results for " marine"
showing 10 items of 1338 documents
Larger cell or colony size in winter, smaller in summer – a pattern shared by many species of Lake Kinneret phytoplankton
2017
We examined an 8.5-year record (2004-2012) of cell size data for phytoplankton species from Lake Kinneret, Israel, sampled weekly or at 2-week intervals and determined microscopically by the same person. Many of the species abundant enough to be counted year-round showed a typical seasonal cell size pattern that repeated annually: cell diameter was maximal in winter and minimal in summer. This pattern was shared by species from different taxonomic groups including cyanobacteria, chlorophyta, and dinoflagellates. Similarly, in colonial species of diatoms, chlorophyta, and cyanobacteria the number of cells per colony was larger in winter and smaller in summer. We postulated that the seasonal …
Impact of high pCO2 on shell structure of the bivalve Cerastoderma edule
2016
Raised atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) result in an increased ocean pCO2 level and decreased carbonate saturation state. Ocean acidification potentially represents a major threat to calcifying organisms, specifically mollusks. The present study focuses on the impact of elevated pCO2 on shell microstructural and mechanical properties of the bivalve Cerastoderma edule. The mollusks were collected from the Baltic Sea and kept in flow-through systems at six different pCO2 levels from 900 μatm (control) to 24,400 μatm. Extreme pCO2 levels were used to determine the effects of potential leaks from the carbon capture and sequestration sites where CO2 is stored in sub-seabed geologica…
Different responses of coexisting Chara species to foreseeable Mediterranean temperature and salinity increases
2017
Abstract An increase in temperature of approximately 4 °C is expected to occur in the Mediterranean by the end of the century. Concomitant to this warming, a foreseeable rise in salinity will affect aquatic species. We addressed the effects of warming and salinity, and their interaction on three coexisting characean species (Chara aspera, C. hispida and C. vulgaris) from a Spanish Mediterranean interdunal pond (spring water temperature 20–23 °C, when charophytes re-grew; salinity 1.3–1.8 PSU). A laboratory experiment was designed with two levels of water temperature treatment (23 and 27 °C), plus two levels of salinity treatment (0.4 and 4.0 PSU). The variables considered were total length,…
Influence of chlorophyllaquantification methods in ecological quality indices
2019
Chlorophyll a concentration in aquatic ecosystems is strongly related to the phytoplankton community biomass, the growth of which depends on nutrient availability. Thus, chlorophyll a concentration...
Responses of phytoplankton to fish predation and nutrient loading in shallow lakes: a pan-European mesocosm experiment
2004
1. The impacts of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and planktivorous fish on phytoplankton composition and biomass were studied in six shallow, macrophyte-dominated lakes across Europe using mesocosm experiments. 2. Phytoplankton biomass was more influenced by nutrients than by densities of planktivorous fish. Nutrient addition resulted in increased algal biomass at all locations. In some experiments, a decrease was noted at the highest nutrient loadings, corresponding to added concentrations of 1 mg L1 P and 10 mg L1 N. 3. Chlorophyll a was a more precise parameter to quantify phytoplankton biomass than algal biovolume, with lower within-treatment variability. 4. Higher densities of pla…
Negligible effect of hypolimnetic oxygenation on the trophic state of Lake Jyväsjärvi, Finland
2016
Abstract Hypolimnetic oxygenation by pumping oxygen-rich surface water to the hypolimnion (HLO) is a commonly used tool for the restoration of nutrient-loaded dimictic lakes. However, in recent years its effectiveness has been questioned. In this case study we evaluated monitoring data covering a period of 23-years to show that, although experimental cessation of HLO drastically changed the lake's temperature and dissolved oxygen regimes, it did not significantly affect its trophic status. Thus, we recommend that the limited financial resources available are better directed towards further lowering the lake's external phosphorus load than continuing HLO.
Seasonal Variations in Biochemical Composition of the ClamDosinia corrugatein Relation to the Reproductive Cycle and Environmental Conditions
2016
ABSTRACT Seasonal variations in biochemical composition of the clam Dosinia corrugate were investigated from August 2013 until July 2014 in Zhuanghe Bay in relation to environmental conditions and reproductive cycle. Separate biochemical analyses of the mantle, adductor muscle, foot, and gonad-visceral mass in each sex were undertaken. Spawning took place once a year from July to August and the massive spawning occurred in August with the highest water temperature and chlorophyll a levels. Utilization of glycogen took place during the spawning period, whereas protein was biosynthesized as the mature gametes formed. The glycogen value increased during the resting stage (autumn—winter). The r…
Random Forest model and TRIX used in combination to assess and diagnose the trophic status of Bizerte Lagoon, southern Mediterranean
2016
International audience; A combined multimetric trophic index (TRIX) and the Random Forest (RF) model were used to characterize the trophic status of Bizerte Lagoon. The RF model was used to build a predictive model of chlorophyll a using physicochemical variables (nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, oxygen, temperature and salinity) as predictors. The approach is based on physicochemical and biological parameters measured in samples collected twice weekly from January to December 2012 at one representative sampling station located at the lagoon center.The observed TRIX values vary from 5.18 to 6.12, reflecting waters ranging from moderate to poor quality with a high trophic level. The re…
Behavioural responses of fish groups exposed to a predatory threat under elevated CO2
2019
Most of the studies dealing with the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on fish behaviour tested individuals in isolation, even when the examined species live in shoals in the wild. Here we evaluated the effects of elevated CO2 concentrations (i.e. ∼900 μatm) on the shelter use and group cohesion of the gregarious damselfish Chromis viridis using groups of sub-adults exposed to a predatory threat. Results showed that, under predatory threat, fish reared at elevated CO2 concentrations displayed a risky behaviour (i.e. decreased shelter use), whereas their group cohesion was unaffected. Our findings add on increasing evidence to account for social dynamics in OA experiments, as living in gro…
Establishing the occurrence and profile of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments: The eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain as a case s…
2019
Sampling, cost-effective analysis, diagnosis of sources of pollution and assessment of potential toxicological effects were included in the case study. Marine sediments collected from 24 points along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain (Comunitat Valenciana region) in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 have been analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene were the most found. An analysis of the relative abundance of selected PAHs revealed that petrogenic and mixed petrogenic/pyrogenic sources are predominant in the area. The total concentrations of the target compounds ranged from 14.7 to 615.3 ng/g dry weight. The effec…