Excessive Growth of Macroalgae: A Symptom of Environmental Disturbance

Morand, P; Briand, Xavier

doi:10.1515/botm.1996.39.1-6.491

Cited by 273 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Estuaries dominated by Ulva, Enteromorpha, and Chaetomorpha spp. may attain much larger biomasses of 2400-3600 g d.w. m -2 (Sfriso et al 1989;Sfriso and Facca 2007; wet weight converted by 12% dry:wet weight in Morand and Briand 1996). This analysis of macroalgal biomass and canopy height in the three Waquoit Bay estuaries, as well as data presented in Peckol and Rivers (1996), suggest that peak macroalgal accumulation may be spurred by increased nitrogen supply, but ultimately the canopy is limited by light availability.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Macrophyte Abundance in Waquoit Bay: Effects of Land-Derived Nitrogen Loads on Seasonal and Multi-Year Biomass Patterns

Fox

Stieve

Valiela

et al. 2008

Estuaries and Coasts

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Anthropogenic inputs of nutrients to coastal waters have rapidly restructured coastal ecosystems.To examine the response of macrophyte communities to land-derived nitrogen loading, we measured macrophyte biomass monthly for six years in three estuaries subject to different nitrogen loads owing to different land uses on the watersheds. The set of estuaries sampled had nitrogen loads over the broad range of 12 to 601 kg N ha -1 y -1 . Macrophyte biomass increased as nitrogen loads increased, but the response of individual taxa varied. Specifically, biomass of Cladophora vagabunda and Gracilaria tikvahiae increased significantly as nitrogen loads increased. The biomass of other macroalgal taxa tended to decrease with increasing load, and the relative proportion of these taxa to total macrophyte biomass also decreased. The seagrass, Zostera marina, disappeared from the higher loaded estuaries, but remained abundant in the estuary with the lowest load. Seasonal changes in macroalgal standing stock were also affected by nitrogen load, with larger fluctuations in biomass across the year and higher minimum biomass of macroalgae in the higher loaded estuaries. There were no significant changes in macrophyte biomass over the six years of this study, but there was a slight trend of increasing macroalgal biomass in the latter years. Macroalgal biomass was not related to irradiance or temperature, but Z. marina biomass was highest during the summer months when light and temperatures peak. Irradiance might, however, be a secondary limiting factor controlling macroalgal biomass in the higher loaded estuaries by restricting the depth of the macroalgal canopy. The relationship between the bloom-forming macroalgal species, C. vagabunda and G. tikvahiae, and nitrogen loads suggested a strong connection between development on watersheds and macroalgal blooms and loss of seagrasses. The influence of watershed land uses largely Fox et al. 3 overwhelmed seasonal and inter-annual differences in standing stock of macrophytes in these temperate estuaries.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Macrophyte Abundance in Waquoit Bay: Effects of Land-Derived Nitrogen Loads on Seasonal and Multi-Year Biomass Patterns

Fox

Stieve

Valiela

et al. 2008

Estuaries and Coasts

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“…These phenomena are not new, being reported from nutrient enriched waters in many of the world's temperate and tropical waters since the last century (e.g. Fletcher, 1996;Morand and Briand, 1996;Valiela et al, 1997;Nelson et al, 2003;Hiraoka et al, 2004;Merceron et al, 2007). However, what has characterised macroalgal blooms in the 21st century is the sheer scale of the blooms and their occurrence in coastal and offshore areas rather than just estuaries and embayments (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abiotic factors influencing biomass accumulation of green tide causing Ulva spp. on Pyropia culture rafts in the Yellow Sea, China

Keesing

Chen

Shi

et al. 2016

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oAnnually recurrent green-tides in the Yellow Sea have been shown to result from direct disposal into the sea of fouling Ulva from Pyropia aquaculture. The role abiotic factors play in Ulva biomass accumulation on rafts was studied to find ways to mitigate this problem. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was very high at all sites, but the highest Ulva biomass was associated with the lowest DIN and anthropogenic N. Under luxuriant background nutrient conditions, variability in temperature and periods of emersion, rather than pH, light and salinity determined Ulva biomass. Two dominant species of Ulva displayed differing tolerances to temperature and desiccation which helped explain why Ulva prolifera dominates floating green-tides. Rather than trying to mitigate greentides only by reducing nutrient pollution, an earlier harvest of Pyropia in southern Jiangsu Province especially before temperatures increase greatly above 10°C during April, could reduce the biomass of U. prolifera disposed from rafts.Crown

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“…Conditions that determine the vulnerability of water bodies to eutrophication and the subsequent development of mass blooms are high nutrient loadings, a long residence time and reduced mixing with nutrient-poor (oceanic) waters (Morand and Briand 1996). However, the seasonal regulation of algal growth and biomass production, the mechanisms that lead to spatial variation in macroalgal biomass within one estuary or lagoon, and the interaction of these two are still poorly understood (Duarte 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of spatial and seasonal variation of macroalgal biomass in a brackish, eutrophic lake

Malta

Verschuure

Nienhuis

2002

Helgoland Marine Research

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Processes leading to biomass variation of Ulva were investigated at two contrasting sites in the eutrophic Veerse Meer (The Netherlands). Ulva species dominated at the Middelplaten site, while at the Kwistenburg site a mixture of Ulva spp. and Chaetomorpha linum dominated. Total summer macroalgal biomass was higher at Middelplaten than at Kwistenburg (282 and 79 g DW m -2 , respectively). Growth rates of Ulva spp. were high at both sites in May 1992 (cage mean 0.28-0.30 day -1 ), but quickly dropped to lower values (0.05-0.10 day -1 ). In May, growth rates were significantly highest at Kwistenburg, while during the rest of the season growth rates were similar for both sites. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, light attenuation, phytoplankton and nutrient concentrations did not differ between sites. The relation between variation in Ulva spp. growth rates and environmental parameters was analysed using stepwise multiple regression, showing that light and temperature were the main variables regulating Ulva spp. growth rates. As Ulva growth rates were similar for both sites but biomass was much lower at Kwistenburg it was concluded that a large amount of produced biomass was lost at Kwistenburg. Although the exact reason for this remains unclear, it seems most likely that transport of macroalgae by wind and waves is a very important factor. This study shows the importance of simultaneously measuring growth rates and biomass at a high temporal resolution to reveal the mechanisms responsible for spatial variation in macroalgal biomass in shallow coastal areas.

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Excessive Growth of Macroalgae: A Symptom of Environmental Disturbance

Cited by 273 publications

References 60 publications

Macrophyte Abundance in Waquoit Bay: Effects of Land-Derived Nitrogen Loads on Seasonal and Multi-Year Biomass Patterns

Macrophyte Abundance in Waquoit Bay: Effects of Land-Derived Nitrogen Loads on Seasonal and Multi-Year Biomass Patterns

Abiotic factors influencing biomass accumulation of green tide causing Ulva spp. on Pyropia culture rafts in the Yellow Sea, China

Regulation of spatial and seasonal variation of macroalgal biomass in a brackish, eutrophic lake

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