Search results for "plankton"
showing 10 items of 549 documents
Modeling the Response of the Planktonic Microbial Community to Warming Effects in Maritime Antarctic Lakes
2014
Abstract In this chapter, we describe the design and prognoses given by the simulation of an ecological model dealing with the functioning of the microbial community of a maritime Antarctic lake, whose main ecological features are also reported. The model is based on carbon fluxes through the planktonic community and the carbon subsides from the benthic mosses covering the lake bottom and microbial mats spread over the lake’s catchment. It describes the dynamics of the bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, and organic matter, both particulate and dissolved, during the austral summer, with temperature and solar radiation as the main forcing functions driving the response of the modeled state vari…
Factors controlling plankton productivity, particulate matter stoichiometry, and export fluxin the coastal upwelling system off Peru
2020
Abstract. Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS) are among the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth. The high productivity in surface waters is facilitated by upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters, with high light availability enabling fast phytoplankton growth and nutrient utilization. However, there are numerous biotic and abiotic factors modifying productivity and biogeochemical processes. Determining these factors is important because EBUS are considered hotspots of climate change, and reliable predictions on their future functioning requires understanding of the mechanisms driving biogeochemical cycles therein. In this study, we used in situ mesocosms to obtain mechanistic un…
Potential for large-bodied zooplankton and dreissenids to alter the productivity and autotrophic structure of lakes.
2014
While limnological studies have emphasized the importance of grazers on algal biomass and primary production in pelagic habitats, few studies have examined their potential role in altering total ecosystem primary production and it's partitioning between pelagic and benthic habitats. We modified an existing ecosystem production model to include biotic feedbacks associated with two groups of large-bodied grazers of phytoplankton (large-bodied zooplankton and dreissenid mussels) and estimated their effects on total ecosystem production (TEP), and the partitioning of TEP between phytoplankton and periphyton (autotrophic structure) across large gradients in lake size and total phosphorus (TP) co…
Comparative study of phytoplankton in an oligotrophic soft water lake under different pH-phosphate ranges
1998
This work reports phytoplankton changes in a shallow, acidic and oligotrophic lake (Loch Rusky, Scotland) from two different periods: one with artificial phosphate fertilization and neutral pH (SRP 3–18 µg l-1, pH 6.6–7.8, 1972–73) and the other with low phosphate and acidic pH values (SRP <1.5 µg l-1, pH 5.6–6.9, 1985–86). Phosphate enhanced markedly total algal biomass and favoured the presence of cyanophytes, especially in the summer epilimnion, while cryptophytes dominated at this time during unfertilized periods. Anabaena sp. peaked during summer and a higher density of Ceratium hirundinella and Peridinium sp. in mid-summer was also observed during the fertilized period. Otherwise, alg…
Spatial distribution of phytoplankton in the Gulf of Riga during spring and summer stages
1999
Distribution patterns of chlorophyll a, phytoplankton species and biomass were studied in the Gulf of Riga, one of the most eutrophicated areas of the Baltic Sea. Quasi-synoptic measurements were carried out during four seasonal stages (spring bloom 1995, early-summer stage 1994, cyanobacterial bloom 1994, and late summer stage 1993). For each stage, common factor analysis was used to simplify the highly correlated patterns of nutrients, salinity, temperature and the depth of mixed layer. Obtained latent variables were used to explain spatial distribution of phytoplankton. Generally, the distribution of phytoplankton variables followed closely the patterns of nutrient rich fresh water. Duri…
Distribution and seasonal dynamics of Cryptomonads in Sicilian water bodies
2003
Several species with a relevant ecological importance belong to Cryptophyta. Nevertheless, species-level identification from microscopic observations is problematic, lacking recent taxonomic keys. In this study we report our observations on distribution and seasonal dynamics of Cryptomonads in 33 Sicilian water bodies, as well as the main taxonomical problems we encountered. Species of the genera Cryptomonas and Plagioselmis are the most common in the examined water bodies. Their biomass seasonal trends usually show a peak in late winter and early spring. In advanced spring, and also in summer, due to the higher grazing pressure, the Cryptomonads biomass reaches its lowest values. Moreover,…
Phytoplankton distribution along trophic gradients within and among reservoirs in Catalonia (Spain)
2008
SUMMARY 1. Longitudinal gradients in the epilimnetic waters of stratified reservoirs provide a useful database to study changing environmental conditions. The spatial distribution, assemblage structure and specific adaptations of phytoplankton assemblages can be analysed along these gradients over short time scales. 2. Four reservoirs with a similar typology, located along an altitudinal gradient in the same eco-region, were sampled along their longitudinal axes. In total, 19 sampling stations provided a trophic spectrum, ranging from oligo-mesotrophy to hypertrophy, which was quantified by calculating the trophic state index of each sampling station in the four reservoirs. 3. Several patte…
Mesocosm experiments on nutrient and fish effects on shallow lake food webs in a Mediterranean climate
2004
Summary 1. Nutrient and fish manipulations in mesocosms were carried out on food-web interactions in a Mediterranean shallow lake in south-east Spain. Nutrients controlled biomass of phytoplankton and periphyton, while zooplankton, regulated by planktivorous fish, influenced the relative percentages of the dominant phytoplankton species. 2. Phytoplankton species diversity decreased with increasing nutrient concentration and planktivorous fish density. Cyanobacteria grew well in both turbid and clear-water states. 3. Planktivorous fish increased concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Larger zooplankters (mostly Ceriodaphnia and copepods) were significantly reduced when fish wer…
Differential attributes of phytoplankton across the trophic gradient: a conceptual landscape with gaps
1998
I provide a conceptual landscape of attributes of phytoplankton related to trophic gradients, by reviewing 69 papers and books on eutrophication, with special reference to the ecology of the phytoplankton. Forty-eight ecological variables such as total phosphorus and Chl-a, are used, each related to the trophic gradient measured. They are subdivided in structural features of the phytoplankton, functional or dynamic features, and other relevant properties of the plankton community. Only twelve of the forty-eight variables are statistically related to trophic gradient. In most cases, variability across a trophic gradient is only nominally described. Less attention is given to functional, stru…