Dynamics of microphytobenthos biomass in the Ems estuary

Jonge, VN de; Colijn, F.

doi:10.3354/meps104185

Cited by 121 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Similarly, decomposition and refractory accumulation are associated with primary production when aquatic and terrestrial communities are compared (Cebrian 1999), but no attempt to test this association for marine communities has been made. In addition, even though physical energy is a predominant control of detrital export out of marine communities (Bach et al 1986;de Jonge and Colijn 1994), the association between export and primary production across marine communities remains to be examined.…”

Section: Acknowledgementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability and control of carbon consumption, export, and accumulation in marine communities

Cebrián

2002

Limnology & Oceanography

132

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Elucidating the extent and controls of the routes followed by primary production in marine communities (i.e., consumption by herbivores, decomposition, transportation of plant material beyond the community boundariesreferred to as export-or accumulation as biomass or detritus) is essential to understand how much and why they differ in their capacity to fuel secondary production, both within or out of the community, and in their role as sinks in the oceanic carbon budget. Here, using an extensive compilation of published reports, I compare the magnitude of these routes across and within a wide range of community types, including oceanic and coastal phytoplanktonic communities, benthic microalgal communities, coral reef algal beds, macroalgal beds, seagrass meadows, marshes, and mangroves. Furthermore, I examine whether the variability in the magnitude of these routes among and within types is associated with that in the magnitude of primary production. In general, different community types showed similar levels of consumption by herbivores and export, in spite of substantial within-type variability. On the contrary, substantial differences in detritus decomposition and accumulation were found among types: coral reef algal beds and benthic microalgal communities tended to show the highest and lowest levels of decomposition, respectively, whereas marshes and oceanic phytoplanktonic communities tended to show the largest and smallest levels of detritus accumulation. The results also identify primary production as a robust (i.e., applicable to a wide range of environmental conditions and communities) control of the variability in herbivory and decomposition among marine communities. The role of primary production as a control of export and detritus accumulation is generally minor and only restricted to coastal phytoplanktonic and benthic microalgal communities, for export, and marshes and mangroves for detritus accumulation.

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Section: Acknowledgementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability and control of carbon consumption, export, and accumulation in marine communities

Cebrián

2002

Limnology & Oceanography

132

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“…For instance, as a result of wind-induced evaporation, salinities on tidal flats may reach 100 (Visscher & Van Gemerden, 1991). On sandy and muddy substrates, edaphic microalgal assemblages living on a benthic surface are often dominated by diatoms (Colijn & Koeman, 1975;Colijn & Nienhuis, 1977;Admiraal et al, 1984;Colijin & De Jonge, 1984;Vos et al, 1988;De Jonge & Colijn, 1994;Agatz et al, 1999). These biofilms are particularly important in the ecology of mudflats as they exhibit high rates of primary production (Pinckney & Zingmark, 1991), influence erosion and deposition of sediment (Underwood & Paterson, 1993;Paterson, 1994), and affect sediment-water nutrient fluxes (Sundba¨ck & Grane´li, 1988;Rysgaard et al, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compatible solutes in three marine intertidal microphytobenthic Wadden Sea diatoms exposed to different salinities

Scholz

Liebezeit

2012

European Journal of Phycology

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Diatoms inhabiting intertidal flats are subject to strongly changing salinities due to exposure to rain and desiccation at low tide. In order to determine the physiological responses of marine benthic diatoms to salinity changes, cultures of Navicula phyllepta, Achnanthes delicatula subsp. hauckiana and Nitzschia constricta, isolated from the Soltho¨rn tidal flat (lower Saxony, southern North Sea), were used to study the effect on growth rates of different salinities (0.5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50). During short (1, 3, 10, 60 min) and long exposures (30 days), the composition of free amino acids and the accumulation of polyols, saccharides, quaternary ammonium compounds and -dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) were determined. The growth rates of N. phyllepta were not affected by salinity in the tested range, synthesizing and accumulating proline as the only response to salinity increases in the growth medium. The growth responses of A. delicatula subsp. hauckiana were significantly weaker at the lowest and highest salinities in comparison to the control treatment (at a salinity of 30), producing proline, glycine betaine, glycerol and the quaternary ammonium compound homarine. In contrast, N. constricta showed the highest growth rate in the low-salinity treatment and the lowest proline concentrations in the high-salinity assay in comparison to the other species. In addition, N. constricta was the only species that synthesized the tertiary sulphonium compound DMSP. Furthermore, results from the salinity treatments showed particular similarities in compound accumulation. While quaternary ammonium compounds as well as DMSP were synthesized during high-salinity treatments, polyols and carbohydrates were found predominantly in the low-salinity experiments. Enzyme activities specific to proline metabolism in A. delicatula and N. constricta indicated that the high salinity-induced free proline accumulation may be due to a stimulation of synthesis via the ornithine pathway, whereas in N. phyllepta the glutamate pathway may contribute significantly to the free proline accumulation. In conclusion, significant differences in osmolyte compositions were found in the three diatom species during exposure to different salinities, suggesting specific intracellular acclimation processes that provide possible explanations of the species' insensitivity towards environmental short-time salinity variations.

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“…Other factors influencing the spatial distribution of different organisms are light intensity and grain size composition, directly affecting many species by limiting vertical distribution and burrowing performance (Asmus, 1982). On sandy and muddy substrates, edaphic microalgae living on a variety of benthic surfaces are often dominated by diatoms (Colijn & Nienhuis, 1977;Admiraal, 1984;Colijin & de Jonge, 1984;de Jonge & Colijn, 1994;Agatz et al, 1999), whereas coccoid and filamentous green algae and cyanophytes are usually known to occur only at some stages during the growth season (Taylor & Paterson, 1998;Nozaki et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microphytobenthic dynamics in a Wadden Sea intertidal flat – Part II: Seasonal and spatial variability of non-diatom community components in relation to abiotic parameters

Scholz

Liebezeit

2012

European Journal of Phycology

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The microphytobenthos colonizing the intertidal flats forms an important component of the Wadden Sea. Ten sampling points along a 1-km transect were studied in a fringe area of the Soltho¨rn tidal flat, southern North Sea, in order to determine seasonal differences in the microphytobenthos. An accompanying paper deals with the major component of the flora, the diatoms; here we, focus on the minor taxonomic groups. From May 2008 to May 2009 surface sediments were collected during low tide. Variation of environmental factors as well as microphytobenthic density (abundance and chlorophyll a) were monitored. The area investigated was a mixed-sediment mudflat, with a gradient from coarse to fine. Highest biomass was obtained in summer 2008 with 215.9 AE 12.6 mg chlorophyll a m -2 . In late autumn the chlorophyll a concentration decreased continuously at all investigated stations. Lowest values were detected in December 2008. Species abundances varied considerably both along the transect and seasonally, depending on species-specific requirements as well as hydrodynamic conditions (tidal currents). Higher densities of benthic pro-and eukaryotic microalgae were observed in sites characterized by fine sediments. Apart from the diatoms, the most abundant microphytobenthic group was the cyanophytes. Coccoid cyanophytes, mainly Merismopedia sp., were most abundant during summer, with cell numbers up to 5.72 Â 10 6 cells cm À2, while diatoms dominated in winter, spring and autumn. Filamentous cyanophytes, particularly Microcoleus chthonoplastes, were most abundant during autumn, while coccoid chlorophytes (spring: Chlorococcum submarinum, Crucigenia tetrapedia, Tetraselmis suecica), euglenophytes (summer: Euglena obtusa), dinophytes (autumn: Amphidinium operculatum, A. herdmanii) and cryptophytes (autumn: Hillea marina, Hemiselmis virescens) contributed to the microphytobenthos during warmer seasons. The statistical analysis confirmed that the composition of the microphytobenthos was related to sediment features and to characteristics of particular seasons.

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Dynamics of microphytobenthos biomass in the Ems estuary

Cited by 121 publications

References 22 publications

Variability and control of carbon consumption, export, and accumulation in marine communities

Variability and control of carbon consumption, export, and accumulation in marine communities

Compatible solutes in three marine intertidal microphytobenthic Wadden Sea diatoms exposed to different salinities

Microphytobenthic dynamics in a Wadden Sea intertidal flat – Part II: Seasonal and spatial variability of non-diatom community components in relation to abiotic parameters

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