大亚湾中型浮游动物群落结构和植食性

本文以中型浮游动物成体为研究对象,通过在大亚湾实验站附近一个采样点连续两年的野外调查和现场摄食实验,分析大亚湾近岸富营养化海域中型浮游动物的群落特征,及其对浮游植物的选择摄食特性。结果表明:2015—2017年实验站附近中型浮游动物的总丰度在冬季达到最高,其次为春、秋和夏季;其优势种大多是滤食性桡足类,如锥形宽水蚤(Temora turbinata)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)等,中型浮游动物的摄食特性与优势种摄食行为有很大的相关性。中型浮游动物群落更偏好于粒径较大的小型浮游植物(20—200μm),而对微型(2—20μm)或超微型浮游植物(0.7—2μm)的摄食影响较小,甚至会因为选择性摄食对这两种类型的浮游植物的生长有间接促进作用。且中型浮游动物的摄食选择性具有明显的季节性,除每个季节均倾向于摄食甲藻和青绿藻。除此之外,在春季偏好于定鞭藻和隐藻,夏季偏好于定鞭藻和绿藻,秋季偏好于硅藻、隐藻和聚球藻。尽管硅藻的生物量在调查期间平均约占总浮游植物类群的50%,但是中型浮游动物并不主动摄食硅藻,而更偏爱生物量低但营养较高的甲藻。总体上,中型浮游动物虽然对浮游植物有一定的摄食,但其植食性较弱,不能对浮游植物的生物量进行有效控制。     

Grazing by meso- and microzooplankton on phytoplankton in the upper reaches of the Schelde estuary (Belgium/The Netherlands)

In contrast with the marine reaches of estuaries, few studies have dealt with zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton in the upper estuarine reaches, where freshwater zooplankton species tend to dominate the zooplankton community. In spring and early summer 2003, grazing by micro- and mesozooplankton on phytoplankton was investigated at three sites in the upper Schelde estuary. Grazing by mesozooplankton was evaluated by monitoring growth of phytoplankton in 200 μm filtered water in the presence or absence of mesozooplankton. In different experiments, the grazing impact was tested of the calanoïd copepod Eurytemora affinis, the cyclopoid copepods Acanthocyclops robustus and Cyclops vicinus and the cladocera Chydorus sphaericus, Moina affinis and Daphnia magna/pulex. No significant grazing impact of mesozooplankton in any experiment was found despite the fact that mesozooplankton densities used in the experiments (20 or 40 ind. l⁻¹) were higher than densities in the field (0.1–6.9 ind. l⁻¹). Grazing by microzooplankton was evaluated by comparing growth of phytoplankton in 30 and 200 μm filtered water. Microzooplankton in the 30–200 μm size range included mainly rotifers of the genera Brachionus, Trichocerca and Synchaeta, which were present from 191 to 1777 ind. l⁻¹. Microzooplankton had a significant grazing impact in five out of six experiments. They had a community grazing rate of 0.41–1.83 day⁻¹ and grazed up to 84% of initial phytoplankton standing stock per day. Rotifer clearance rates estimated from microzooplankton community grazing rates and rotifer abundances varied from 8.3 to 41.7 μl ind.⁻¹ h⁻¹. CHEMTAX analysis of accessory pigment data revealed a similar phytoplankton community composition after incubation with and without microzooplankton, indicating non-selective feeding by rotifers on phytoplankton.     

Annual dynamics of the mesozooplankton communities in a highly variable ecosystem (North Adriatic Sea,Italy)

Mesozooplankton community composition at the species/taxa level was investigated from January to December 2001, at eight stations in the northern Adriatic Sea. Annual dynamics, taxonomic composition and spatial diversity in relation to different trophic conditions are discussed as related to previous studies and to different conditions, such as the presence of mucilage events. Zooplankton communities all over the northern sub‐basin were dominated by the cladoceran Penilia avirostris in summer, and by the calanoids Paracalanus parvus, Acartia clausi and the poecilostomatoids Oncaea spp. during the rest of the year. Whereas coastal communities were more variable with time and location, we were able to identify a group of offshore stations with a similar species/taxa composition and annual dynamics. Comparing the present results with previous studies, we observed significant changes in community composition in the time scale of 20 years, mostly due to a general decrease of A. clausi as the dominant species, being replaced by P. parvus. Also, P. avirostris swarms appear to have extended their temporal occurrence, and were present for longer periods of time when compared to past records. These changes might be related to the observed general increase of the average sea water temperature in the northern Adriatic Sea.