Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-vpsfw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-18T15:00:28.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biomasss and microzooplankton seasonal assemblages in the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentinean Coast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2011

M.S. Barría de Cao ,
M.C. Piccolo  and
G.M. Perillo
M.S. Barría de Cao*
Affiliation:
IADO (CONICET–UNS) Florida 4750, 8000-Bahía Blanca, Argentina DBByF–UNS, San Juan 670-Bahía Blanca, Argentina
M.C. Piccolo
Affiliation:
IADO (CONICET–UNS) Florida 4750, 8000-Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Geografía y Turismo–UNS, 12 de Octubre y San Juan, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
G.M. Perillo
Affiliation:
IADO (CONICET–UNS) Florida 4750, 8000-Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Geología–UNS, San Juan 670, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M.S. Barría de Cao, IADO (CONICET–UNS) Florida 4750, 8000-Bahía Blanca, Argentina email: sbarria@criba.edu.ar
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We investigated the occurrence and seasonal variation of the biomass of rotifers, tintinnids, the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Gyrodinium fusus and copepod nauplii in the Bahía Blanca Estuary (38°42′S61°50 ′W), Argentina, during an annual cycle. The rotifers fauna comprised three species, while the tintinnids were represented by sixteen species. The biomass of the rotifers fluctuated between 0.62 and 8.90 µgC l−1. The biomass of the tintinnids fluctuated between 0.13 and 9.37 µgC l−1, the biomass of the nauplii stages between 1.78 and 7.65 µgC l−1; while the biomass of G. fusus varied from 0.26 and 7.94 µgC l−1, these results are compared to estimates of microzooplankton in other regions. We analysed the presence of the different groups in relation to the environmental variables, based on point-biserial correlation. Salinity fluctuated between 25.14 and 36.64; temperature between 7.5 and 23.2°C, solar radiation between 0.9 and 30.8 MJ m−2d−1 and Secchi distance between 0.25 and 1.43 m. Rotifers were correlated positively with temperature, chlorophyll-a and Secchi depth and negatively with salinity. The tintinnids were positively correlated with salinity. Gyrodinium fusus was positively correlated with Secchi depth, and chlorophyll-a, and negatively with temperature and solar radiation. Nauplii stages were negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a. Based on the occurrence of the microzooplankters in relation to the physico-chemical variables, it was possible to establish two seasonal assemblages: (a) the co-occurrence of the rotifers and the heterotrophic dinoflagellate G. fusus during the winter–spring; and (b) the tintinnids and nauplii larvae during the summer. We conclude that, in this estuary, physico-chemical variables are the forcing factors that directly, or indirectly, influence the seasonal assemblages of the microzooplankton.

Keywords

microzooplanktonbiomassseasonal assemblagesestuariesArgentina
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 5 , August 2011 , pp. 953 - 959
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ayukai, T. (1987) Predation by Acartia clausi (Copepoda: Calanoida) on two species of tintinnids. Marine Microbial Food Webs 2, 45–52.Google Scholar
Barría de Cao, M.S. (1992) Abundance and species composition of tintinnina (Ciliophora) in Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 34, 295–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barría de Cao, M.S., Pettigrosso, R.E. and Popovich, C. (1997) Planktonic ciliates during a phytoplankton bloom in Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. II. Tintinnids. Oebalia 23, 21–31.Google Scholar
Barría de Cao, M.S., Beigt, D. and Piccolo, M.C. (2005) Temporal variability of diversity and biomass of tintinnids (Ciliophora) in a southwestern Atlantic temperate estuary. Journal of Plankton Research 27, 1103–1111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barría de Cao, M.S. and Piccolo, M.C. (2008) Presencia y variación estacional del dinoflagelado heterótrofo Gyrodinium fusus (Meunier) Akselman en el estuario de Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Atlântica, Rio Grande 30, 129–137.Google Scholar
Beers, J.R. and Stewart, G.L. (1970). Numerical abundance and estimated biomass of microzooplankton. In Strickland, J.D.H. (ed.) The ecology of the plankton off La Jolla, California, in the period April through September 1967. Bulletin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography 17, pp. 67–87.Google Scholar
Berzins, B. (1960a) Rotatoria I. Order: Monogonta. Sub-order: Ploima. Family: Synchaetidae. Genus Synchaeta. Zooplankton. Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer. Sheet 84.Google Scholar
Berzins, B. (1960b) Rotatoria I. Order: Monogonta. Sub-order: Ploima. Family: Trichocercidae. Genus Trichocerca. Zooplankton. Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer. Sheet 85.Google Scholar
Diodato, S.L., Berasategui, A.A. and Hoffmeyer, M.S. (2006) Morphological types and seasonal variation in eggs of zooplankton species from bottom sediments in Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 54, 161–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diodato, S.L. and Hoffmeyer, M.S. (2008) Contribution of planktonic and detritic fractions to the natural diet of mesozooplankton in Bahía Blanca Esturary. Hydrobiologia 614, 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, J.R. and Gallegos, C. (1992) Trophic role of planktonic rotifers in the Rhode River Estuary, spring-summer 1991. Marine Ecology Progress Series 85, 187–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fradkin, S.C. (2001) Rotifer distributions in the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific. Hydrobiologia 446/447, 173–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gayoso, A.M. (1988) Seasonal variations of the phytoplankton from the most inner part of Bahía Blanca Estuary (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). Gayana, Botánica 45, 241–247.Google Scholar
Gayoso, A.M. (1999) Seasonal succession patterns of phytoplankton in the Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina). Botanica Marina 42, 367–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinbokel, J.F., Coats, D.W., Henderson, K.W. and Tyler, M.A. (1988) Reproduction rates and secondary production of three species of the rotifer genus Synchaeta in the estuarine Potomac River. Journal of Plankton Research 10, 659–674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendall, M.G. and Stuart, A. (1973) The advanced theory of statistics. Volume 2. Inference and relationship. 3rd edition. London: Griffin.Google Scholar
Lorenzen, C.L. (1967) Determinations of chlorophyll and phaeopigments. Spectrophotometric equations. Limnology and Oceanography 12, 343–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menden-Deuer, S. and Lessard, L.J. (2000) Carbon to volume relationships for dinoflagellates, diatoms, and other protist plankton. Limnology and Oceanography 45, 569–579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Park, G.S. and Marshall, H.G. (2000) The trophic contributions of rotifers in tidal freshwater and estuarine habitats. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 51, 729–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettigrosso, R.E. (2003) Planktonic ciliates Choreotrichida and Strombidiida from the inner zone of the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. Iheringia 93, 117–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettigrosso, R.E., Barría de Cao, M.S. and Popovich, C. (1997) Planktonic ciliates during a phytoplankton bloom in Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. I. Aloricate ciliates Oebalia 23, 3–19.Google Scholar
Pettigrosso, R.E. and Popovich, C. (2009) Phytoplankton–aloricate ciliate community in the Bahía Blanca estuary (Argentina): seasonal patterns and trophic groups. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 57, 215–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilling, E.D., Leakey, R.J.G. and Burkill, P.H. (1992) Marine pelagic ciliates and their productivity during summer in Plymouth coastal waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 72, 265–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Popovich, C.A., Guinder, V.A. and Pettigrosso, R.E. (2008) Composition and dynamics of phytoplankton and aloricate ciliate communities in the Bahía Blanca Estuary. In Neves, R., Baretta, J. and Mateus, M. (eds) Perspectives on integrated coastal zone management in South America. Lisbon: IST Press, pp. 257–272.Google Scholar
Putt, M. and Stoecker, D.K. (1989) An experimentally determined carbon: volume radio for ‘oligotrichous’ ciliates from estuarine and coastal waters. Limnology and Oceanography 34, 1097–1103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, J.R. (1983) Predation by estuarine zooplankton on tintinnids ciliates. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 16, 27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rougier, C., Pourriot, R. and Lam-Hoai, T. (2000) The genus Synchaeta (rotifers) in a north-western Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Etang de Thau, France): taxonomical and ecological remarks. Hydrobiologia 436, 105–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokal, R.R. and Rohlf, F.J. (1981) Biometry. 2nd edition. San Fransico, CA: W.H. Freeman.Google Scholar
Stoecker, D.K. and Egloff, D.A. (1987) Predation by Acartia tonsa Dana on planktonic ciliates and rotifers. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 110, 53–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tillmann, U. and Hesse, K.J. (1998) On the quantitative importance of heterotrophic microplankton in the northern German Wadden Sea. Estuaries and Coasts 21, 585–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verity, P.G., Stoecker, D., Sieracki, M.E., Burkill, P.H., Edwards, E.S. and Tronzo, C.R. (1993) Abundance, biomass and distribution of heterotrophic dinoflagellates during the North Atlantic spring bloom. Deep-Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 40, 227–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, W. and Wang, R. (2000) Summertime ciliate and copepod nauplii distributions and micro-zooplankton herbivorous activity in the Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 51, 103–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar