Phytoplankton production in two east coast estuaries: Photosynthesis-light functions and patterns of carbon assimilation in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays

Chesapeake Bay is a large and productive estuary that has received close scrutiny in recent years because of indications that its water quality and biota have been damaged by man's activities. Data on primary production for the estuary as a whole, however, are surprisingly sparse. We describe here the distribution of photosynthetic carbon assimilation by phytoplankton in Chesapeake Bay, and relate productivity patterns to hydrographic characteristics of the estuary. Between March 1982 and April 1983, a series of four cruises was conducted on Chesapeake Bay, and two cruises on the urbanized Delaware Bay for comparison. The upper Chesapeake and Delaware were highly turbid with high concentrations of suspended particulate matter and dissolved inorganic nutrients. Low chlorophyll concentrations were usually found in these areas of high turbidity, despite the abundance of nutrients, suggesting light limitation. Application of Wofsy's (1983) model of phytoplanton growth confirmed this suggestion. Chlorophyll and productivity maxima usually occurred seaward of the turbidity maxima where light penetration increased and suffient nutrients were present to support active phytoplankton growth. Further seaward of the chlorophyll maxima in the Chesapeake, the photic zone depth increased, concentrations of nutrients decreased, and phytoplankton biomass decreased, suggesting that nutrient availability, rather than light, controlled phytoplankton growth in the lower portion of the estuary. In contrast to the Chesapeake, Delaware Bay was more turbid, had generally higher nutrient concentrations, and was lower in phytoplankton productivity. The chlorophyll maxima and region of rapid phytoplankton growth occurred further toward the lower estuary and shelf regions in Delaware Bay because the high turbidity extended further seaward. Nutrients were never depleted at the shelf end of the estuary sufficiently to retard phytoplankton growth. Photosynthesis-irradiance (P-I) curves from simulated in situ and constant intensity incubations showed a strong correlation of the light-limited slope (a^B) with the light-saturated rate ( ) on each cruise. Spatial variations in corresponded to patterns of phytoplankton abundance, as did integral production (PP) and carbon-based growth rates (μ_C, μ_m), and photosynthetic parameters varied significantly with temperature.     

Seasonal succession of cyanoprokaryotes in a hypereutrophic oligo-mesohaline lagoon from the South of France

The Bolmon lagoon (South of France) is an oligo-mesohaline coastal lagoon that has undergone intense eutrophication in the past decades, resulting from a strong concentration of human activities in its drainage basin. Consequently, it exhibits some characteristics typical of an advanced trophic state; namely, the disappearance of submerged vegetation, the permanently intense phytoplankton growth and the recurrence of cyanoprokaryote blooms. As cyanoprokaryote dominance in south-temperate saline lagoons is little reported, we carried out this study in order to understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton composition and biomass, and to analyse the influence of environmental parameters such as salinity, nutrients and climate on the seasonal succession of species. In this lagoon, the phytoplankton was permanently dominated by cyanoprokaryotes, probably because of high availability of nutrients, low light penetration in the water column and frequent turbulent mixing induced by wind. The two most abundant species Planktothrix agardhii (in winter–spring) and Pseudanabaena limnetica (in summer) have low light requirements and are well adapted to a high mixing frequency, which defines the S1 functional group in Reynolds' typology for phytoplankton. Although widely studied in north-temperate lakes, blooms of these typically freshwater species are almost unreported in the Mediterranean area, especially in brackish ecosystems that are not their normal habitat. In the Bolmon lagoon, all their requirements for nutrients, light and mixing are satisfied and they seem to cope with a moderate presence of salt but P. agardhii was less competitive than P. limnetica at highest salinities, the latter being probably more halophytic. Contrary to the observations in lakes located at higher latitudes, the Mediterranean climate seems to induce a typical seasonal pattern of succession characterised by the dominance of P. agardhii (winter) – Chroococcales (spring) – Pseudanabaenaceae (summer) – P. agardhii (autumn, winter). The warm temperatures seemed to have a major influence on the phytoplankton succession, being responsible for the survival of Planktothrix during winter and its rapid and intense development in early spring. Intense mixing and high irradiance in summer promoted the development of Pseudanabaenaceae, as reported in another south-temperate lagoon, the Albufera of Valencia (Spain). The ecological success of Oscillatoriales observed in the Bolmon lagoon is a perfect example of a shift to the “turbid stable state” as proposed for freshwater shallow lakes only. Our work demonstrated that hypereutrophic Mediterranean lagoons can function very similarly to shallow lakes at higher latitudes; but the warmer climate and higher irradiances are probably responsible for differences in the seasonal pattern of species dominance.     

Consequences of winter upwelling events on biogeochemical and phytoplankton patterns in a western Galician ria (NW Iberian peninsula)

The consequences of two upwelling events in mid- (MW) and late (LW) winter on biogeochemical and phytoplankton patterns were studied in the Pontevedra Ria and compared with the patterns measured under typical winter conditions and under a summer upwelling event. Thermohaline patterns measured during the mid-winter upwelling event (MW-up) revealed the intrusion of saltier seawater (35.9) into the ria associated with the Iberian Poleward Current (IPC). During the late-winter upwelling event (LW-up), the seawater which had welled up into the ria showed characteristics of the Eastern North Atlantic Central Water mass (ENACW). In both cases the measured water residence time (4 days during MW-up and 10 days during LW-up) was related to both meteorological and fluvial forcing. This residence time contrasts with that of summer upwelling (7 days) and with that estimated under unfavorable upwelling atmospheric conditions (2–4 weeks). During MW-up, the ria became poor in nutrients due to continental freshwater dilution, associated with the shorter residence time of the water, and the intrusion of IPC, which is a water body poor in nutrient salts: 2.9 μM of nitrate, 0.1 μM of phosphate and 1.5 μM of silicate. During this event, the ria exported 3.4 mol_DIN s⁻¹, compared with 6.9 mol_DIN s⁻¹ in non-upwelling conditions. Phytoplankton showed a uniform distribution throughout the ria, as during unfavorable upwelling conditions, and was characterized by the dominance of diatoms, mainly Nitzschia longissima and Skeletonema costatum. During LW-up, a nutrient depletion in the photic layer also occurred, but as a result of a phytoplankton spring bloom developing at this time. The ria was a nutrient trap where 4.1 mol_DIN s⁻¹ were processed by photosynthesis. This budget is three times higher than the one under non-upwelling conditions. In contrast with the MW-up, which had no effect on primary production, during LW-up the ria became more productive, although not as productive as during a summer upwelling event (9.9 mol_DIN s⁻¹). The taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton community did not change noticeably during LW-up and the summer upwelling, with the same species present and changing only in relative proportions. Diatoms were always the dominant microphytoplankton community, with Pseudonitzschia pungens, Thalassionema nitzschioides and several species of Chaetoceros as characteristic taxons.     

Laboratory Culture and Preliminary Characterization of the Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizosolenia-Richelia Symbiosis

Abstract. The oceanic diatom Rhizosolenia clevei and its cyanobactcrial symbiont Richelia intracel-luluris were isolated into laboratory culture and their biology and growth dynamics examined. Nitrogen-fixation by the symbiont could sustain the symbiosis. Growth and nitrogenase activity demonstrated light saturation kinetics, with no photoinhibition up to 315 μE m^-1 s^-1 for growth and 780μE m^-1 s^-1 for nitrogen fixation. The symbiosis is not obligate for Rhizosolenia , which is capable of growth independent of the symbiont if a nitrogen source is available. The symbiont is contained in the pcriplasmic space between the Rhizosolenia plasmalcmma and frustulc, and preliminary evidence suggests excretion of fixed nitrogen into the medium may be occurring.     

Nutrient budgets and trophic state in a hypersaline coastal lagoon: Lagoa de Araruama, Brazil

Lagoa de Araruama in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a hypersaline lagoon with salinity varying spatially from 45 to 56. We collected water samples during monthly cruises throughout the lagoon, and along the streams feeding the system, from April 1991 to March 1992. Nutrients and other water quality parameters exhibited great spatial and temporal variations. Mass balance calculations indicate large amounts of anthropogenic nutrient inputs. The data indicate that the lagoon currently is oligotrophic but is in a state of transition to become a mesotrophic system. Molar dissolved inorganic nitrogen:dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIN/DIP) varied between 2.2:1 and 659:1 with a volume-weighted average of 22:1. The high DIN/DIP ratio contrasts with that found in nearby lagoons, suggesting that phytoplankton primary production is limited by phosphorus in Lagoa de Araruama. The major loss of DIP is apparently driven by biological assimilation and diagenic reactions in the sediments. Calculations indicate that the lagoon is slightly net autotrophic at +0.9 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹. This suggests that the biomass of the primary producers is restricted by phosphorus availability. Phosphorus retention in the sediment and the hypersaline state of the lagoon prevent changes in autotrophic communities and the formation of eutrophic conditions.     

长江口羽状锋海区浮游植物的生态研究：—昼夜分布动态

本文对长江口羽状锋海区浮游植物的昼夜变动进行了初步研究，结果表明，浮游植物数量的昼夜变化明显，潮汐作用是影响数量昼夜分布变化的主导因素，同时也与该地区浮游植物的水平分布有着密切的联系。     

Plankton distribution and vertical flux of biogenic matter during high summer stratification in the Krka estuary (Eastern Adriatic)

The aim of this study was to investigate phytoplankton abundance, composition and vertical export in the highly stratified Krka estuary, Croatia. The estuary is stratified throughout the year, and an interface between fresh- and brackish water plays an important role in production and degradation of biogenic matter. Vertical export of particulate organic carbon (POC), phytoplankton carbon (PPC) and faecal pellet carbon (FPC) was studied by deploying sediment traps in the middle and lower reach of the estuary and in the adjacent coastal zone. Zooplankton faecal pellet (FP) production experiments were conducted to provide additional information on the potential contribution of FP to the total carbon flux. High suspended concentrations of POC, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton was found in the lower reaches of the Krka estuary, adjacent to a source of anthropogenic eutrophication. The fraction of organic detritus to the total POC flux was 61–69% inside the estuary but only 7% at the marine station. This indicates that the primary producers in the surface layer of the Krka estuary are decomposed in and below the interface and then settle as detritus to the bottom. Low sedimentation rates in the coastal zone outside the estuary revealed that the eutrophication does not spread out of the estuary. Mesozooplankton played a modest role in vertical flux regulation, due to their low abundance and dominance of smaller forms as well as low faecal pellet production rates. It is concluded that processes taking place at the freshwater-seawater interface are of major importance for the vertical carbon flux in the investigated area.     

Influence of stratification and irradiance regime on summer phytoplankton composition in coastal and shelf seas of the British Isles

The effect of interaction between stratification and irradiance regimes on phytoplankton community structure was investigated in three shelf/coastal regions of the British Isles, each of which displayed ranges of vertical stability and light attenuation. Relationships between vertical stability, light penetration and community structure were indicated by the ordination of dominance (assessed using cell volume) of the main phytoplankton phyletic groups—diatoms, dinoflagellates and microflagellates—on a surface defined by a bulk stratification index () and water column depth, scaled by transparency (λh). Diatom- and dinoflagellate-dominated communities occupied distinctly different domains on the - λh surface, diatoms being favoured in well-mixed water columns with high values for λh and dinoflagellates dominating where stratification was strong and λh was low. Microflagellates were not abundant in any of the study areas and showed no clear ordination on the - λh surface. The domain of co-dominance of diatom and dinoflagellates on the - λh surface was narrow with small changes in the irradiance or stratification regime resulting in a switch to diatom or dinoflagellate dominance. It is suggested that loss of non-motile diatom communities in strongly stratified water columns might be a strong selective force in favour of dinoflagel-lates. However, in water columns with intermediate stratification and optical properties, the outcome of competition may be decided by physiological attributes of the two groups with respect to growth in low and fluctuating irradiances.     

围隔实验中海洋浮游植物对石油烃污染物中正构烷烃的生物富集

本文应用海洋围隔生态实验研究了浮游植物对石油烃污染物生物富集动力学过程 ,提出了“水相差法”测定海洋浮游植物体内石油烃浓度 ,以及包括石油烃挥发和生物生长等影响因素的石油烃生物富集动力学模型 ,并利用非线性拟合技术得到了海洋浮游植物对 0 #柴油 WAF中正构烷烃的生物富集动力学参数 kup,kel和 BCFPOC,结果与 Kováts色谱保留指数具有很好的相关性 ,与利用生物分析平衡法测定的文献数据基本一致。本模型及实验方法简便可靠 ,可在现场实验中广泛应用 ,得到的动力学参数应用于多介质环境模型和生态动力学模型 ,用以研究石油烃污染物中正构烷烃在海洋环境中的迁移变化规律