Diel Fluctuations of a Shallow Water Fish Community in the Inner Oslofjord, Norway

Abstract. A shallow water fish community in the inner Oslofjord, Norway, was sampled with a beach seine at 4h intervals over two 36 h periods (25-26th May and 28-29th September, 1982). Night length varied from 1 h in May to 11 h in September. Differences in the community composition were observed between May and September. The diversity of the fish community changed between the two months although the interpretation of the change was dependent on the method used to analyse the community. The three dominant species ( Gasterosteus aculeatus, Sprattus sprattus , and Ammodytes tobianus ) showed diel variations in catch rate which were out of phase with each other. The percentage overlap in abundance of the dominant species was low. The summation of the individual periodicities resulted in aperiodicity at the community level. There were fluctuations, over a diel cycle, in all the community parameters (number of individuals, number of species, species diversity [H'J, species richness [D] and evenness [J']) which affect measures of resource partitioning in fish communities and which should therefore be considered in ecological studies. Diel fluctuations in abundance of some individual shallow water species varied between seasons causing problems in population estimates.     

DMSP and DMS dynamics and microzooplankton grazing in the Labrador Sea: application of the dilution technique

We adapted the dilution technique to study microzooplankton grazing of algal dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) vs. Chl a, and to estimate the impact of microzooplankton grazing on dimethyl sulfide (DMS) production in the Labrador Sea. Phytoplankton numbers were dominated by autotrophic nanoflagellates in the Labrador basin, but diatoms and colonial Phaeocystis pouchetii contributed significantly to phytomass at several high chlorophyll stations and on the Newfoundland and Greenland shelfs. Throughout the region, growth of algal Chl a and DMSP was generally high (0.2–1 d⁻¹), but grazing rates were lower and more variable, characteristic of the early spring bloom period. Production and consumption of Chl a vs. DMSP followed no clear pattern, and sometimes diverged greatly, likely because of their differing distributions among algal prey taxa and size class. In several experiments where Phaeocystis was abundant, we observed DMS production proportional to grazing rate, and we found clear evidence of DMS production by this haptophyte following physical stress such as sparging or filtration. It is possible that grazing-activated DMSP cleavage by Phaeocystis contributes to grazer deterrence: protozoa and copepods apparently avoided healthy colonies (as judged by relative growth and grazing rates of Chl a and DMSP), and grazing of Phaeocystis was significant only at one station where cells were in poor condition. Although we hoped to examine selective grazing on or against DMSP-containing algal prey, the dilution technique cannot differentiate selective ingestion and varying digestion rates of Chl a and DMSP. We also found that the dilution method alone was poorly suited for assessing the impact of grazing on dissolved sulfur pools, because of rapid microbial consumption and the artifactual release of DMSP and DMS during filtration. Measuring and understanding the many processes affecting organosulfur cycling by the microbial food web in natural populations remain a technical challenge that will likely require a combination of techniques to address.     

Reexamination of the spawning migration of Anguilla dieffenbachii in relation to water temperature and the lunar cycle

ABSTRACT

The oceanic spawning migration of female Anguilla dieffenbachii eels was previously studied using pop-up satellite transmitting tags (PSAT). The swimming depths and experienced-temperature data of 3 eels released in May 2006 were re-examined in relation to water temperature data, and also lunar cycle and regional hydrography as these latter aspects were not considered in the original study. Eel 2 and Eel 3 initially experienced lower water temperature above 600?m, suggesting they remained south of the subtropical-convergence front longer than Eel 1. Their experienced nighttime minimum depths showed linear relationships with the lunar cycle, because they swam shallower during new moon than during full moon. The eels experienced narrow deep-day temperature ranges at a wide range of depths compared to experiencing narrow shallow-night depth ranges where temperatures varied more widely, indicating that several different factors determine their day and night depth ranges.     

Copepod feeding in a coastal area of active tidal mixing: diel and monthly variations of grazing impacts on phytoplankton biomass

This study examined monthly feeding rates and grazing impact on phytoplankton biomass, as well as diel feeding rhythms of four key copepod species in a tidally well mixed estuary (Asan Bay, Korean Peninsula). Monthly ingestion rates estimated based on gut pigment analysis were closely associated with their peak densities, but not with phytoplankton biomass, implying high ingestion may be related to reproductive output for population growth. The three smaller copepods, Acartia hongi, Acartia pacifica and Paracalanus parvus, showed feeding preference for smaller phytoplankton (<20 μm) with higher clearance rates, whereas the larger Calanus sinicus preferred larger phytoplankton. Acartia pacifica and P. parvus showed distinct increased nocturnal feeding rates as measured with gut fluorescence, whereas A. hongi showed no significant day–night differences. Copepod diel feeding patterns were not associated with food quantity, and endogenous physiological rhythm might be hypothesized as responsible for the observed diel feeding patterns. Grazing impact on phytoplankton biomass by the four copepods in the estuary was on average 8% (range 0.2–29.8%) of the phytoplankton standing stock, similar to values reported in other coastal waters. Very high copepod abundances but low daily carbon ration (<20% for all copepods) provided by feeding on phytoplankton indicate that copepods also grazed on other non‐phytoplankton foods in Asan Bay.     

基于声学方法的南黄海浮游动物垂直迁移季节变化研究

为研究南黄海浮游动物垂直迁移的季节变化, 分析了2006 年至2007 年4 个季节布放潜标中声学测流仪的观测数据。结果是: 声学测流仪测量的后向散射强度呈现显著的日变化特征, 这是由浮游动物垂直迁移造成的; 在4 个季节中都出现这一凌晨向下、黄昏向上的垂直迁移, 但是垂直迁移发生的时间有季节变化。利用南黄海辐射通量的直接观测数据, 讨论了垂直迁移发生时间与光照的关系,结果表明垂直迁移的季节变化主要受光照的影响。这对于研究浮游动物垂直迁移机制有一定意义。