Estuarine plankton communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem modification in response to anthropogenic influences. The main objectives of this study were to describe the spatial distribution and diurnal variabi...Estuarine plankton communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem modification in response to anthropogenic influences. The main objectives of this study were to describe the spatial distribution and diurnal variability in zooplankton abundance and biomass over almost entire salinity gradient of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary and to provide a background reference for future studies. To accomplish this, data were collected from 29 stations in the estuary from May 19 to 26, 2003, including two anchor stations. The spatial and diurnal variations in zooplankton characteristics, i.e. abundance, biomass, and gross taxonomic composition, were examined. Generally, both the abundance and biomass gradually increased seaward and presented distinct spatial variations. In addition, the spatial data revealed a significant correlation between abundance and biomass; however, there was no significant correlation between abundance and biomass for the diurnal data. Although the zooplankton composition indicated distinct spatial differences in terms of dominant groups, copepods accounted for >50% of the total zooplankton abundance in most regions and times. Three zooplankton assemblages were recognized through hierarchical cluster analysis. These assemblages existed along the salinity gradient from fresh water to seawater, and their positions coincided with those of the three principal water masses in the estuary. The assemblages were classified as: (1) true estuarine, (2) estuarine and marine, and (3) euryhaline marine, which were characterized by the copepods Sinocalanus dorrii, Labidocera euchaeta, and Calanus sinicus, respectively. Both spatial and diurnal data indicated that there was no significant correlation between zooplankton abundance/biomass and depth-integrated phytoplankton abundance.展开更多
Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of picoplankton (i.e. Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp., picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria) and viruses in the Changjiang estuary have been reported in the ...Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of picoplankton (i.e. Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp., picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria) and viruses in the Changjiang estuary have been reported in the past. However, short-term variations (e.g. at a tidal timescale) of these organisms and their regulating factors remain unclear. We determined the time-series of fluctuations of picoplankton and viruses with tide simultaneously in flow cytometry in the Changjiang estuary during a cruise in June 2006, in which a tidal model based rectangle equation was applied. The results indicate that high cell abundances of picoplankton and viruses occurred during flood tide and low cell abundances during ebb tide. The period of the surface cell abundance variations was about 13 h, suggesting the surface cell abundances in the Changjiang estuary were largely regulated by tide. However, cell abundances in middle and bottom waters varied in different periods due to influences of tidal induced physical forces such as resuspension and stratification. Therefore, tidal action is an important factor for the diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Creative Research Groups (No. 40821004)the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX1-YW-06-02)the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2007CB407305)
文摘Estuarine plankton communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem modification in response to anthropogenic influences. The main objectives of this study were to describe the spatial distribution and diurnal variability in zooplankton abundance and biomass over almost entire salinity gradient of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary and to provide a background reference for future studies. To accomplish this, data were collected from 29 stations in the estuary from May 19 to 26, 2003, including two anchor stations. The spatial and diurnal variations in zooplankton characteristics, i.e. abundance, biomass, and gross taxonomic composition, were examined. Generally, both the abundance and biomass gradually increased seaward and presented distinct spatial variations. In addition, the spatial data revealed a significant correlation between abundance and biomass; however, there was no significant correlation between abundance and biomass for the diurnal data. Although the zooplankton composition indicated distinct spatial differences in terms of dominant groups, copepods accounted for >50% of the total zooplankton abundance in most regions and times. Three zooplankton assemblages were recognized through hierarchical cluster analysis. These assemblages existed along the salinity gradient from fresh water to seawater, and their positions coincided with those of the three principal water masses in the estuary. The assemblages were classified as: (1) true estuarine, (2) estuarine and marine, and (3) euryhaline marine, which were characterized by the copepods Sinocalanus dorrii, Labidocera euchaeta, and Calanus sinicus, respectively. Both spatial and diurnal data indicated that there was no significant correlation between zooplankton abundance/biomass and depth-integrated phytoplankton abundance.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (Nos. 2002CB412405, 2004CB720505)a fund to the Innovative Research Team, the Ministry of Education of China (No.IRT0427)+1 种基金the PhD Program Scholarship Fund of ECNU 2007the Special Research Fund for the National Non-profit Institutes (East China Sea Fisheries Research Institutes) (No. 2008M13)
文摘Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of picoplankton (i.e. Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp., picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria) and viruses in the Changjiang estuary have been reported in the past. However, short-term variations (e.g. at a tidal timescale) of these organisms and their regulating factors remain unclear. We determined the time-series of fluctuations of picoplankton and viruses with tide simultaneously in flow cytometry in the Changjiang estuary during a cruise in June 2006, in which a tidal model based rectangle equation was applied. The results indicate that high cell abundances of picoplankton and viruses occurred during flood tide and low cell abundances during ebb tide. The period of the surface cell abundance variations was about 13 h, suggesting the surface cell abundances in the Changjiang estuary were largely regulated by tide. However, cell abundances in middle and bottom waters varied in different periods due to influences of tidal induced physical forces such as resuspension and stratification. Therefore, tidal action is an important factor for the diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary.
