Recurrent patterns in zooplankton structure and succession in a variable coastal environment

Mazzocchi, Maria Grazia; d’Alcalà, Maurizio Ribera

doi:10.1016/1054-3139(95)80081-6

Cited by 141 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…Our results of the copepod seasonality are in general accordance with some earlier studies: Acartia clausi is a part of the typical summer association in the Gulf of Trieste (Cataletto et al 1995;Mozetič et al 2002), Kaštela Bay (Regner 1992), Gulf of Naples (Mazzocchi and Ribera d'Alcalá 1995) and Balearic Sea (Fernández de Puelles et al 2003); Oncaea spp. belong to the autumn-winter assemblage in the Gulf of Trieste (Cataletto et al 1995); T. stylifera characterizes the summer-autumn (Siokou-Frangou 1996), and Ctenocalanus vanus belongs to the winter community in the eastern Mediterranean (Siokou-Frangou et al 1998).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Zooplankton community and hydrographical properties of the Neretva Channel (eastern Adriatic Sea)

et al. 2007

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Temporal and spatial variability of micro and mesozooplankton was studied in 1998 and 1999 at four stations in the Neretva Channel area influenced by the Neretva river and the open waters of the south Adriatic Sea. The area is orthophosphate limited, but an excessive accumulation of land derived nitrogen is prevented by phytoplankton uptake and the general circulation pattern. Microzooplankton was dominated by ciliates, with average abundances comparable to other Adriatic channel areas (122-543 ind. l -1). Non-loricate ciliates (NLC) generally peaked in the warmer periods, but a winter increase was evident towards the inner part of the channel. Tintinnid abundances generally increased in autumn. A significant relationship with temperature was not recorded for either protozoan group. An inverse relationship between NLC and salinity might be indirectly caused by their preference for the food abundant surface layer. Mesozooplankton was dominated by copepods, with distinct summer maxima throughout the area and pronounced winter maxima of >10,000 ind. m -3 at the inner stations. The community was predominantly neritic but the open sea waters were important in structuring the mesozooplankton assemblage at all stations during the autumn-winter period. Although temperature regulated the seasonal dynamics of most metazoans and the species succession in the copepod community, small omnivorous copepods (Oncaea media complex, Oithona nana and Euterpina acutifrons) dominated regardless of the season. A trophic link between copepods and ciliates was evident in winter during low phytoplankton biomass.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Zooplankton community and hydrographical properties of the Neretva Channel (eastern Adriatic Sea)

et al. 2007

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“…Although their populations largely overlap, the peaks of Clausocalanus paululus, C. pergens, C. arcuicornis and C. furcatus succeed each other from winter to autumn in the open Tyrrhenian Sea (Peralba and Mazzocchi, 2004) as well as in the Ionian Sea and in the Straits of Sicily (Mazzocchi, unpublished data). Similar peak succession was observed in coastal waters (Mazzocchi and Ribera d'Alcalá, 1995). In the Ionian and South Aegean Seas, the dominant C. furcatus and Oithona plumifera in the autumn are replaced by C. paululus and O. similis in the spring (Siokou-Frangou et al, 1997;Mazzocchi et al, 2003;Siokou-Frangou et al, 2004).…”

Section: Copepodssupporting

confidence: 48%

Plankton in the open Mediterranean Sea: a review

et al. 2010

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Abstract. We present an overview of the plankton studies conducted during the last 25 years in the epipelagic offshore waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This quasi-enclosed sea is characterized by a rich and complex physical dynamics with distinctive traits, especially in regard to the thermohaline circulation. Recent investigations have basically confirmed the long-recognised oligotrophic nature of this sea, which increases along both the west-east and the north-south directions. Nutrient availability is low, especially for phosphorous (N:P up to 60), though this limitation may be buffered by inputs from highly populated coasts and from the atmosphere. Phytoplankton biomass, as chl a, generally displays low values (less than 0.2 µg chl a l −1 ) over large areas, with a modest late winter increase. A large bloom (up to 3 µg l −1 ) is observed throughout the late winter and spring exclusively in the NW area. Relatively high biomass values are recorded in fronts and cyclonic gyres. A deep chlorophyll maximum is a permanent feature for the whole basin, except during the late winter mixing. It is found at increasingly greater depths ranging from 30 m in the Alboran Sea to 120 m in the easternmost Levantine basin. Primary production reveals a west-east decreasing trend and ranges between 59 and 150 g C m −2 y −1 (in situ measurements). Overall, the basin is largely dominated by small autotrophs, microheterotrophs and egg-carrying copepod species. The microorganisms (phytoplankton, viruses, bacteria, flagellates and ciliates) and zooplankton components reveal a considerable diversity and

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“…Oncaea media has been reported as a dominant copepod species from a wide range of localities, such as the Mediterranean Sea (e.g. Mazzocchi and Ribera d'Alcala 1995;Bo¨ttger-Schnack 1997), the open and neritic NE Pacific (Star and Mullin 1981), the Inland Sea of Japan (Madhupratap and Onbe´1986;Checkley et al 1992) and the NW Pacific (Noda et al 1998); however, in view of the identification problems, it remains uncertain whether different species of the media complex had been mistakenly combined in these studies. For instance, specimens of O. media examined during a study of seasonal body-length variation in the Lagoon of Venice (Riccardi and Mariotto 2000) were assigned solely to O. waldemari upon a recent taxonomic re-examination (R. Bo¨ttger-Schnack, unpublished data), whereas the specimens recorded as O. media f. minor in the eastern Mediterranean (Bo¨ttger-Schnack 1997) were found to include two species, O. scottodicarloi and O. waldemari (R. Bo¨ttger-Schnack, unpublished data).…”

Section: Species-specific Vertical Distributionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Are taxonomic details of relevance to ecologists? An example from oncaeid microcopepods of the Red Sea

2004

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The marine microcopepod family Oncaeidae in the Red Sea has been the subject of comprehensive ecological studies over the past 15 years, providing for the first time insights into their community structure, vertical distribution and feeding ecology. Owing to taxonomic problems in species identification, however, many of the earlier ecological results were based on provisionally named species or morphotypes. A recent, ongoing taxonomic study of Red Sea Oncaeidae resulted in a considerable increase in the estimated numbers of species, since many of the species had not been described before. The present paper focuses on the potential significance of an improved taxonomic resolution of oncaeids with respect to various ecological aspects in this area, such as indicator species, community analysis and vertical distribution. The progress in our knowledge of the diversity of Red Sea Oncaeidae is summarized, including latest findings on the taxonomy and zoogeography of very small species (<0.5 mm), and the importance of sibling species in the family is pointed out. The south-north gradient in species diversity of Oncaeidae within the Red Sea appears to be greater than previously assumed, since several of the newly described species were restricted to the southern part. The number of endemic species among Red Sea oncaeids is very low, however, most of the new species being also recorded outside the Red Sea. New quantitative data on the abundance and vertical distribution of selected oncaeid siblings obtained during a recent cruise in the northern Red Sea are provided to exemplify the changes in the knowledge of oncaeid community structure attributable to the improved taxonomic resolution. The potential ecological importance of a more differentiated consideration of oncaeid species in marine microcopepod communities is discussed.

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Recurrent patterns in zooplankton structure and succession in a variable coastal environment

Cited by 141 publications

References 0 publications

Zooplankton community and hydrographical properties of the Neretva Channel (eastern Adriatic Sea)

Zooplankton community and hydrographical properties of the Neretva Channel (eastern Adriatic Sea)

Plankton in the open Mediterranean Sea: a review

Are taxonomic details of relevance to ecologists? An example from oncaeid microcopepods of the Red Sea

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