Diversity, Species Composition and Assemblage Dynamics of Estuarine Gelatinous and Semi-Gelatinous Zooplankton from Brazil

NogueiraJr., Miodeli; Nascimento, Lorena; Maciel, Pedro Vieira; Tilbert, Sebastião; Oliveira, Lívia Dias

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77869-3_18

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…This may be particularly true for chaetognaths since they are exclusively marine and most species are more common over the continental shelf and offshore (Bone et al ., 1991; Casanova, 1999). General latitudinal climatic patterns, reflected mostly by the temperature and rainfall, are expected to influence the seasonal dynamics of estuarine plankton, which typically attain lower abundances during winter in subtropical to temperate latitudes (Reeve, 1964; Marques et al ., 2009; Nogueira Júnior et al ., 2018), and tend to follow the rainfall regime in tropical regions (Nair, 1974; Hernández et al ., 2005). However, the general absence of baseline detailed data hampers broad generalizations and understanding the responses of different species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of environmental conditions onParasagitta friderici(Chaetognatha) abundance in a subtropical estuary (south Brazil)

2018

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Estuarine chaetognath population dynamics are poorly known worldwide. We have conducted eight seasonal campaigns (October 2007–August 2008) sampling three sectors in the subtropical Babitonga Bay estuary (26°S 48°W) in order to depict chaetognath abundance and population structure dynamics and test the influence of hydrography and food availability and type. Of three species sampled, Parasagitta friderici represented >93% of abundance in all samples and was examined in detail. There were no differences in P. friderici abundance between the sectors of the estuary, related to its high tolerance to low salinity, a feature not common for most chaetognath species. Salinity tolerance is an important adaptive characteristic to thrive within estuarine systems, and probably is responsible for the dominance of P. friderici in coastal and brackish water environments throughout most of its distribution. Juveniles dominated the population most of the year, except in February–April when abundances were lower and adults predominated. These results suggest that recruitment occurs continuously throughout the year, being more intense between October and January (spring to early summer) and in May (autumn) when densities and proportion of juveniles were higher. General Additive Models suggest that temperature and zooplankton biomass are significant (P < 0.05) factors influencing juvenile abundance while only the latter influenced the adults. We conclude that food availability is the most important driver in the studied population of P. friderici and recruitment peaks, which lead to high densities, seem to occur following peaks of their copepod prey along with particular temperature conditions (22–23°C).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of environmental conditions onParasagitta friderici(Chaetognatha) abundance in a subtropical estuary (south Brazil)

2018

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study considering stratified samples is necessary to clarify this issue properly. In any case, some of these species may be occasionally found in low salinities inside estuaries in the Western Atlantic [78][79][80]. Despite the absence of exclusive dominant species, differences in species abundance were perceptible between the habitats inside and outside the ARP in the open ocean.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Amazon River plume habitats shape planktonic cnidarian assemblages in the Western Atlantic

Tosetto,

Neumann-Leitão,

Araujo

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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The impact of the Amazon River freshwater plume on planktonic cnidarians over neritic and oceanic provinces is unknown. To provide further knowledge we took advantage of an oceanographic cruise performed in October 2012 in the Western Atlantic off the North Brazilian coast (8°N, 51°W—3.5°S, 37°W). A complex and dynamic system was observed, with strong currents and eddies dispersing the plume over a large area. Our results show that the Amazon River shapes marine habitats with a thin highly productive surface layer compressed by a deeper oxygen minimum zone both over the shelf and in the open ocean. We hypothesized that such habitat structure is particularly advantageous to planktonic cnidarians, which have low metabolic rates, being able to survive in hypoxic zones, resulting in high species richness and abundance. Over the shelf, distinctions were sharp and the area under the influence of the plume presented a diverse assemblage occurring in large abundance, while outside the plume, the hydromedusa Liriope tetraphylla was dominant and occurred almost alone. Divergences in the oceanic province were less pronounced, but still expressive being mostly related to the abundance of dominant species. We concluded that Amazon River plume is a paramount physical feature that profoundly affects the dynamics of the mesoscale habitat structure in the Western Equatorial Atlantic Ocean and that such habitat structure is responsible for shaping planktonic cnidarian assemblages both in neritic and oceanic provinces.

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“…The ecological significance of these feeding mechanisms has not been evaluated. Suspended organic matter and other particles in estuaries represent a survival risk for filter-feeders since suspended material may clog the filtering structures (Nogueira et al, 2018). This could be the reason for a higher proportion of filter-feeders in the marine-influenced area.…”

Section: Feeding Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zooplankton functional traits in a tropical estuarine system: Are lower and upper estuaries functionally different?

et al. 2022

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Functional diversity measures help to understand the underlying mechanisms explaining the relationship between organisms and environment. This work examined the mesozooplankton community of an estuary under the hypothesis that the upper (< 25 psu) and lower (> 25 psu) zones are functionally different in terms of feeding strategies, trophic groups, camouflage, buoyancy, and defense against predators, due to the salinity gradient. We used the ‘community-weighted mean trait values’ (CWM) and a fuzzy correspondence analysis (FCA) in combination with three functional indices (FRic: functional richness, FEve: functional evenness, FDiv: functional divergence) to test our hypothesis. Zooplankton samples were taken in the tropical Sontecomapan estuary, southern Gulf of Mexico, in June 2018 and October 2019. A total of 21 zooplankton groups were recognized, all of them present in the lower estuary. Results showed significant differences (p< 0.05) in the FRic and FDiv values between the two zones, as well in the CWM metric. Results of the FCA showed that the lower estuary was characterized by herbivorous filter feeders that use watery bodies, flattened body forms, mucus houses, or ‘wings’ for buoyancy; highly transparent bodies (associated with gelatinous body structure) for camouflage and predators’ avoidance and, shells or carapaces as antipredator tactics. The upper estuary was characterized by omnivorous cruising predators that use their appendages or swim bladders for buoyancy, with ‘medium’ and ‘low’ levels of transparency, associated with chitinous and skin-protected body structures, which provide alternative ways for camouflage and spines or fast swimming behavior to protect from predators. These findings evidenced that the upper and lower zones of an estuary exhibit differences in the function of the zooplankton community and shed new light on the comprehension of estuaries’ ecological function.

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Diversity, Species Composition and Assemblage Dynamics of Estuarine Gelatinous and Semi-Gelatinous Zooplankton from Brazil

Cited by 9 publications

References 96 publications

The influence of environmental conditions onParasagitta friderici(Chaetognatha) abundance in a subtropical estuary (south Brazil)

The influence of environmental conditions onParasagitta friderici(Chaetognatha) abundance in a subtropical estuary (south Brazil)

Amazon River plume habitats shape planktonic cnidarian assemblages in the Western Atlantic

Zooplankton functional traits in a tropical estuarine system: Are lower and upper estuaries functionally different?

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