Spatial heterogeneity in the structure of the planktonic food web in the North Sea

Richardson, Katherine; Nielsen, Torkel Gissel; Pedersen, Flemming Bo; Heilmann, Jens; Løkkegaard, Bo; Kaas, Hanne

doi:10.3354/meps168197

Cited by 65 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This means that these dinoflagellates can graze the large phytoplankton, but they can also prey on other protozooplankters (see references in Hansen 1991). The levels of protozooplankton biomass were comparable to those found in lower latitude waters (Hansen 1991, Nielsen & Kiørboe 1994, Richardson et al 1998 and to those reported previously in Disko Bay (Nielsen & Hansen 1995.…”

Section: The 2 Plankton Communitiessupporting

confidence: 88%

Plankton community structure and carbon cycling off the western coast of Greenland, with emphasis on sources of DOM for the bacterial community

Møller¹,

Nielsen²

2000

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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The plankton community was investigated in Disko Bay, West Greenland, in August 1998, and the importance of phytoplankton versus zooplankton in providing substrates for the bacterial community was evaluated. Two distinct plankton communities were observed. In the stratified north side of the bay the surface water was nutrient depleted and high biomasses of phyto-, zoo-and bacterioplankton were observed; in contrast, the south side had less pronounced stratification, higher concentrations of nutrients and lower plankton biomass levels. Accompanying differences in the relative importance of the different sources of substrates for the bacteria were indicated from carbon flow scenarios and correlations between bacterial production and plankton biomass. These showed that the protozooplankton were most important in the north, while in the south the contributions from phytoplankton and zooplankton to the bacteria substrate pool were equal. Overall, the ciliates and heterotrophic dinoflagellates played a key role as grazers and in providing substrates for the bacteria in this arctic ecosystem. KEY WORDS: Arctic microbial ecology · DOM production · Bacteria · Protozooplankton · CopepodsResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Aquat Microb Ecol 22: 13-25, 2000 Field studies and mesocosm experiments investigating the importance of zooplankton grazing for DOM production in marine waters have focused on the effects of copepods. Correlations have been found between copepod abundance and amino acid concentration in the water column (Poulet et al. 1991), and the presence of copepods has been shown to stimulate bacterial production (Eppley et al. 1981, Roman et al. 1988, Peduzzi & Herndl 1992. Evaluating the importance of protozooplankton in natural environments is a more difficult task due to the size overlap with the phytoplankton.In arctic marine systems, the significance of protozooplankton in the planktonic food web has been documented as being comparable to that in temperate areas (Andersen 1988, Nielsen & Hansen 1995, Sherr et al. 1997. A main difference in the annual cycle between the 2 latitudes is the reduced top-down control of the plankton community in the late summer in the arctic areas ). The population of the large copepods (Calanus spp.) migrates to the deep water and starts hibernation around midsummer, thus leaving the productive layers for protozooplankton and smaller copepod stages and species . It is therefore hypothesised that small grazers are of importance not only as grazers but also as producers of bacterial substrate during late summer.The present study investigates the plankton community structure in Disko Bay during the late arctic summer with special emphasis on the potential sources of substrates for the bacterial community. MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy site. The present study was conducted on a cruise of the RV 'Adolf Jensen' (Grønlands Naturinstitut, Nuuk) from 20 to 25 August 1998 along a transect across the entrance of Disko Bay, West Greenland (...

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Section: The 2 Plankton Communitiessupporting

confidence: 88%

Plankton community structure and carbon cycling off the western coast of Greenland, with emphasis on sources of DOM for the bacterial community

Møller¹,

Nielsen²

2000

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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“…seemed also to be related to the increase in food availability (Pearson and Mannvik, 1998). Calmer conditions and better light penetration might have enhanced the subsurface primary production usual in these areas (Riegman et al, 1990;Nielsen et al, 1993;Richardson et al, 1998), which feeds also benthic foraminiferans, the favourite prey for P. jeffreysii (Pearson et al, 1996).…”

Section: North Of the 50 M Depth Contour The Substantial Increase Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in North Sea macrofauna communities and species distribution between 1986 and 2000

Kröncke

Reiss

Eggleton

et al. 2011

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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The North Sea Benthos Project 2000 was initiated as a follow-up to the 1986 ICES North Sea Benthos Survey with the major aim to identify changes in the macrofauna species distribution and community structure in the North Sea and their likely causes.The results showed that the large-scale spatial distribution of macrofauna communities in the North Sea hardly changed between 1986 and 2000, with the main divisions at the 50 m and 100 m depth contours. Water temperature and salinity as well as wave exposure, tidal stress and primary production were influential environmental factors on a large (North Sea-wide) spatial scale.The increase in abundance and regional changes in distribution of various species with a southern distribution in the North Sea in 2000 were largely associated with an increase in sea surface temperature, primary production and, thus, food supply. This

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“…, Richardson et al 1998). Only negligible amounts of algal material reach the sea floor at most parts of the Dogger Bank (Stoeck & Kröncke 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phospholipid fatty acid profiles at depositional and non-depositional sites in the North Sea

Stoeck¹,

Kröncke²,

Duineveld³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The distribution of ester-linked phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) in sediments of 12 sampling stations located in the German Bight, Skagerrak/northern Kattegat, Frisian Front, Oyster Ground, eastern North Sea and the Dogger Bank area was studied to compare the in situ microbial community structure of depositional and non-depositional sites. A total of 36 fatty acids in the range of C 12 to C 24 were determined. They consisted of saturated, branched, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and hydroxy fatty acids, and variation was revealed in the relative proportions (mol %) of these fatty acids. The distribution of specific fatty acids was significantly different between depositional and non-depositional sites. Additionally, we could discriminate communities of sites which are intermediate in sedimentation regime. Highest total PLFA content was found at depositional sites. The PLFA profiles of all sites were dominated by bacteria, with highest bacterial contribution to the sedimentary PLFA pool at depositional sites. A high proportion of aerobic prokaryotes (up to 40%) at depositional sites indicated the occurrence of aerobic microniches in the corresponding anoxic sediments. Bacterial groups being a component of the degradation pathways of complex macromolecules (e.g. Cytophaga and Actinomycetes) were found in significant higher abundances at depositional sites compared to the other sites. At depositional sites, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (e.g. Desulfobacter spp.) were more abundant compared to the other stations. The relative contribution of microeukaryotes to the sedimentary PLFA pool was significantly higher at depositional sites. A nutritionally limited benthic system at non-depositional sites in the offshore is indicated by a microbial community exposed to higher physiological stress than those of the organically enriched sediments of the depositional sites.

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Spatial heterogeneity in the structure of the planktonic food web in the North Sea

Cited by 65 publications

References 22 publications

Plankton community structure and carbon cycling off the western coast of Greenland, with emphasis on sources of DOM for the bacterial community

Plankton community structure and carbon cycling off the western coast of Greenland, with emphasis on sources of DOM for the bacterial community

Changes in North Sea macrofauna communities and species distribution between 1986 and 2000

Phospholipid fatty acid profiles at depositional and non-depositional sites in the North Sea

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