The zooplankton of the Forth, Scotland

Abstract

SynopsisA description of the community structure of the Forth estuary's zooplankton was obtained by sampling monthly at nine stations ranging from fresh water to fully marine conditions for an eighteen-month period. The variation in species abundance and distribution is related to environmental variables. The apparent spatial and temporal successions of members of the Acartia species complex are described, as are the episodes of predation spreading from the firth and the domination of the upper estuary by Eurytemora. It is observed that the estuary of the Forth is rare among British estuaries in its ability to support a truly pelagic self-maintaining assemblage of species.

Sampling estuarine copepods at different scales and resolutions: a study in Rio de la Plata

“…Many long-term estuarine copepod studies have examined their density changes in relation to variation of salinity, temperature and chl a . Depending on the temporal scales of study, copepod density, taxonomic richness and dominance change in specific season(s) because seasonal changes bring changes in temperature which in turn bring variability in primary production (Livingston, 1987; Taylor, 1987, 1993; Baretta & Malschaert, 1988; Cloern, 1999; Warwick et al ., 2002; Hoffmeyer, 2004; David et al ., 2005; Devreker et al ., 2008; Jang et al ., 2013). Temporal changes in copepod densities are suggested as ecological indicators of salinity and temperature stress for large open estuaries (Paul et al ., 2016), so could be used for long-term monitoring of environmental and or anthropogenic stress of estuaries.…”