Grazing experiments and model simulations of the role of zooplankton in Phaeocystis food webs

A combined empirical and modelling study was conducted to further examine the potential importance of grazing by zooplankton in pelagic food webs in which Phaeocystis is a significant or dominant component. Laboratory experiments were designed to measure ingestion of Phaeocystis and other potential prey items which co-occur with Phaeocystis. Grazers included copepods and ciliates, and prey included Phaeocystis colonies and solitary cells, diatoms, ciliates, bacteria, and detritus. These data were expressed in the model currency of nitrogen units, and fit to hyperbolic tangent equations which included minimum prey thresholds. These equations and literature data were used to constrain a food web model whose purpose was to investigate trophic interactions rather than to mimic actual events. Nevertheless, the model output was similar to the general pattern and magnitude of development of Phaeocystis–diatom communities in some environments where they occur, e.g. north Norwegian waters. The model included three forms of nitrogen, three phytoplankton groups, bacteria, two zooplankton groups, and detritus, with detailed flows between compartments. An important component of the model was inclusion of variable prey preferences for zooplankton. The experiments and model simulations suggest several salient conclusions. Phaeocystis globosa colonies were eaten by a medium-sized copepod species, but ingestion appeared to be strongly dependent upon a proper size match between grazer and prey. If not, colonies were eaten little if at all. Phaeocystis solitary cells were ingested rapidly by ciliate microzooplankton, in agreement with prior literature observations. In contrast, detritus was eaten comparatively slowly by both ciliates and copepods. Both types of zooplankton exhibited apparent minimum prey thresholds below which grazing did not occur or was inconsequential. Model simulations implied that transitions between life cycle stages of Phaeocystis may potentially be important to phytoplankton–zooplankton interactions, and that relative rates of ingestion of Phaeocystis by various zooplankton may have significant impacts upon material fluxes through and out of Phaeocystis–diatom ecosystems. Indirect effects of trophic interactions appear to be equally significant as direct effects.     

三亚湾浮游动物数量分布及群落特征的季节变化

根据三亚湾2005年春、夏、秋和冬季航次的调查资料,分析了这4个季度的浮游动物的种类组成、优势种、群落结构、丰度和生物量的时空变化。经过鉴定共有终生性浮游动物125种,阶段性浮游动物17种,其中毛颚类幼虫和短尾溞状幼虫是各个季度都出现的优势种。三亚湾的浮游动物可以分为河口类群、暖水沿岸类群和广布暖水外海类群。全年浮游动物平均丰度为95.91ind·m-3,浮游动物平均生物量为69.22mg·m-3;浮游动物丰度的季节分布是夏>秋>春>冬,平均生物量的季节分布是秋>夏>春>冬,总体上一般是夏秋季高于冬春季。冬季浮游动物丰度与浮游植物细胞总密度之间没有相关性。     

基于形态学和宏条形码技术的南海西沙群岛浮游动物多样性的比较分析

西沙群岛是我国南海陆地面积最大的群岛,海域广阔,拥有重要的战略地位与丰富的海洋资源。为了解该海域浮游动物组成与分布特征,本研究于2019年5月在西沙群岛14个岛礁站位开展多学科综合调查,并采用形态学方法和基于18S V9测序的宏条形码技术对浮游动物样本组成进行鉴定。结果显示,此次西沙调查站位浮游动物样本的主要种类包括桡足类、软甲纲和箭虫纲,这3个类别的物种在两种鉴定方法中均具有较高的相对丰度。14个站位浮游动物平均密度为707.53±378.34 ind/m³,各站位浮游动物丰度、物种组成及优势种存在差异。形态学方法共鉴定出11门17纲18目共86个物种,18S V9分子方法鉴定出22门46纲85目共233个操作分类单元(operational taxonomic units, OTUs),分子鉴定的物种覆盖度更高,且代表性类群相对丰度和多样性指数在大部分站位与形态学鉴定结果呈现出显著相关性,表明宏条形码技术鉴定方法与形态学鉴定方法在评价海洋浮游动物多样性方面具有较好的可比性,在我国海洋浮游动物群落监测中具有较高的应用潜力。但由于目前浮游动物的分子鉴定方法仍处于初...     

印太交汇区浮游植物和浮游动物生态学研究进展

海洋浮游植物和浮游动物是海洋生态系统中的重要组成部分,支撑了整个海洋生态系统的正常运转.因此,海洋浮游植、动物的生态学研究有利于我们全面认识和了解一个海洋生态系统的状况.印太交汇区作为全球最大的海洋生物多样性中心,是国际上生物多样性研究的热点区域,但该区域对浮游生物生态学方面的研究较少,不利于我们深入认识该区域生物多样...     

环境因子对浮游甲壳动物群落功能多样性的影响

基于功能性状的生物多样性分析是当前生态学研究中的常用方法之一.浮游动物作为水生态系统食物网的重要组成成分,其功能多样性受关注的程度远不如其重要性.本文通过对14个水体浮游甲壳动物群落结构的研究,分析了环境因子对其功能多样性指数,包括功能丰富度(FRic)、功能均匀度(FEve)、功能离散度(FDiv)和功能分散度(FD...     

淮南迪沟采煤沉陷区湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构及其影响因子

2015年8月-2016年6月对安徽省迪沟采煤沉陷区湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构及环境因子进行了调查,研究了其群落结构及与环境因子的关系.共发现后生浮游动物16科27属53种,其中轮虫38种,枝角类9种,桡足类6种,优势种为萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)、角突臂尾轮虫(B.angularis)、蒲达臂尾轮虫(B.budapestiensis)、针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla)、曲腿龟甲轮虫(Keratella valga)、螺形龟甲轮虫(K.cochlearis)、长额象鼻溞(Bosmina longirostris)和透明温剑水蚤(Thermocyclops hyalinus).密度和生物量平均值分别为965.00±541.91 ind./L和3.42±2.17 mg/L.密度峰值出现在2015年2月,而生物量峰值出现在10月,最低值均出现在12月.后生浮游动物密度的空间分布呈现西低东高的趋势,而生物量空间分布呈现西高东低的趋势.Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数和Pielou均匀度指数分别为2.07~3.22、0.83~1.72和0.67~0.80.冗余分析及Pearson相关性分析结果表明,浮游植物生物量、水温、营养盐等是影响后生浮游动物群落结构的主要因子.综合理化指标、营养状态指数、后生浮游动物优势种及生物多样性指数结果表明,迪沟采煤沉陷区湖泊已处于轻度富营养状态.     

沉积物再悬浮对浮游动物群落结构影响的模拟实验

沉积物再悬浮是浅水湖泊的重要特征之一.通过模拟实验,比较不同再悬浮程度下浮游动物群落结构的变化,以探讨沉积物再悬浮对浮游动物的影响.结果显示,不同处理下总悬浮物与叶绿素a浓度差异显著.再悬浮组中枝角类简弧象鼻溞(Bosmina coregoni)、角突网纹溞(Ceriodaphnia cornuta)和轮虫占优势,而对照组中大型枝角类溞属(Daphniasp.)占优势,再悬浮使浮游动物群落组成趋于小型化.不同再悬浮条件下隆线溞(Daphnia carinata)、简弧象鼻溞(Bosmina coregoni)和轮虫的丰度差异显著,角突网纹溞(Ceriodaphnia cornuta)和桡足类丰度差异不显著.总悬浮物浓度与轮虫和简弧象鼻溞丰度显著正相关,与隆线溞丰度显著负相关,与其它浮游动物种群丰度无显著相关性.本研究显示,沉积物再悬浮是决定浮游动物群落结构变化的重要过程之一.     

Zooplankton distribution and abundance in saline lakes of British Columbia,Canada

Zooplankton in saline lakes of the Southern Interior Plateau of British Columbia were collected on three occasions: mid-May and early August, 1990, and in late July, 1991. Salinities ranged from 2.6 to 45.8 g L⁻¹. Of the 17 lakes examined, 13 were hyposaline (∼-20g L⁻¹), four, mesosaline (20–50 g L⁻¹) and none, hypersaline (>50 g L⁻¹). pH ranged from 8.7 (Three Mile) to 10.7 (Goodenough), with values <9.6 in 10, and <9.0 in only three lakes. Lakes with high pHs had high bicarbonate-carbonate alkalinities. Thirty one species of zooplankton occurred: Protista (1), Rotifera (13), Anostraca (2), Cladocera (7), Ostracoda (1) and Copepoda (7). Sixteen species were restricted to hyposaline waters, with seven found only in salinities of ≤5 gL⁻¹. Two species (Diaptomus connexus, Artemia franciscana) were restricted to mesosaline waters of salinity >35 g L⁻¹. Eurysaline species includedBrachionus plicatilis, Hexarthra fennica, Limnocythere staplini, Artemia franciscana andDiaptomus connexus. Most species were abundant in 1+ lakes, but six species always had low populations.B. plicatilis, Hexarthra polyodonta, A. franciscana, Limnocythere staplini, Daphnia similis andD. connexus had densest populations in one or more of the three most saline lakes, viz. Long, Goodenough and Three Mile. Cladocerans other thanD. similis (Alona sp., Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Daphnia pulex) were usually abundant in lakes of low salinity (<5 g L⁻¹).Diatomus sicilis, present in all except the three most saline lakes, also occurred in abundance in ten of these lakes.Moina hutchinsoni andH. polyodonta were present in both hyposaline and mesosaline lakes, but, more importantly, tended to occur only at higher pH values (>pH 9.4) but not in all such lakes. These can be regarded as alkaline-saline species. Sorensen’s Coefficient of Community Similarity was used to compare communities in Alberta-Saskatchewan and British Columbia. It was low (0.37). A comparison restricted to just Cladocera gave a slightly higher value, 0.44, but a comparison of Copepoda gave a value of 71 per cent similarity between the regions. Multiple regression analyses using pH, TDS and K regressed on species richness for all samples accounted for only 41 per cent of the variance. However, when the analysis was seasonally restricted (May), and thus to a limited chemical range, 47 to 77.5 per cent of the variance was accounted for by these three variables.     

Measuring molecular variation in zooplankton populations: DNA extraction from smallDaphnia species

We present methods developed for the small-sizedDaphnia species,D. galeata, D. hyalina, D. cucullata, and their hybrids, which facilitate the use of DNA variation in population studies. Described are large-scale production of material from single genotypes ofDaphnia and subsequent extraction of total DNA. The average DNA yields ranged between 6 µg per gram wet weight (D. cucullata) and 12 µg per gram wet weight (D. galeata). For comparison, the large-sized speciesD. pulex was tested and yielded an average of 28 µg DNA per gram wet weight. The DNA isolated in this manner lends itself well to molecular genetic techniques suited for population studies.Reprint requests to B. Streit.