On the physical limnology of Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay comprises the easternmost part of the Michigan-Huron water system and extensive data were collected here in 1974 by the Canada Centre For Inland Waters. Fifty-one stations were monitored between April and December of 1974; the time series recordings of currents and temperature at 10 locations, meteorological recordings at two buoys, and water level recordings from temporary gauges were carried out. Minimum surface temperature of 0 °C persists for one month commencing in late February and maximum surface temperatures occurred in early August (19 °C). The annual heat income for Georgian Bay was estimated to be 43 700 cal · cm^–2. The exchange at Main Channel has a significant influence on water residence and flushing times in Georgian Bay which determines its trophic status.     

Photoprotective response of xanthophyll pigments during phytoplankton blooms in Sagami Bay, Japan

The relationship between the xanthophyll pool [diadinoxanthinplus diatoxanthin normalized to chlorophyll (Chl) a] and irradiancewas examined during phytoplankton blooms in Sagami Bay fromthe end of April to July 2000. In the case of Chl a concentrations>2 mg m^-3, a linear correlation was found between the xanthophyllpool and irradiance of the previous day. On the other hand,for Chl a concentrations <2 mg m^-3, the xanthophyll poolremained low and was independent of irradiance of the previousday. The results may indicate that photoprotection by xanthophyllpigments assists the development of phytoplankton blooms underhigh-irradiance conditions.     

Monterey Bay phytoplankton I. Seasonal cycles of phytoplankton assemblages

Netplankton collections from shallow-water stations in MontereyBay, California were examined for 1976 and 1977. The predominatingphytoplankton forms were neritic diatom species. Recurrent speciesgroups were identified using Fager's regroup analysis and theirdistributions related to hydrographic seasons. Neritic groupswere relatively more abundant during the Davidson Current andupweiling periods; however, many of the species were presentthroughout much of the year. The appearance of oceanic groupsand species was seasonal and associated with advective events. One neritic species group was of overwhelming numerical importancebut within the group conspicuous changes in relative abundanceof phytoplankton populations occurred seasonally among speciesfrom this group. This group appears to be composed of residentspecies and may be locally retained as vegetative cells or benthicresting stages. Species cycles in Monterey Bay may be regardedas largely the result of suc-cessional changes or cycles ofautochthonous species, while species introduced by adjectiveprocesses appear to be of minor importance. The study has suggested that the presence of species in a ‘seedpopulation’, either as vegetative cells or benthic restingstages, may be important as the growth rate of the species inunderstanding and predicting composition and relative abundancein coastal phytoplankton assemblages.     

Chemical limnology of Georgian Bay and the North Channel between 1974 and 1980

Intensive surveys of Georgian Bay and the North Channel were done in 1974 and 1980. This paper reviews the main findings of the surveys and describes the main factors that determine the chemistry of the two water bodies. Georgian Bay is oligotrophic. Its chemistry is determined chiefly by natural phenomena, specifically the geology of the drainage basin and the river runoff in the spring, and by exchange with Lake Huron and the North Channel. Localized eutrophication is found in the bays along the southern shore. The chemistry of the North Channel is determined by its very short residence time — about two years — caused by the large inflow from St. Mary's River. The water quality in the river reflects that of Lake Superior and the inputs of nutrients and contaminants from Sault Ste. Maire. Because of the short flushing time, the Channel remains oligotrophic despite the large loadings of phosphorus.     

Distribution and composition of the surficial sediments of Georgian Bay and North Channel

The surface 3 cms of sediment from 177 samples were taken from Georgian Bay and the North Channel in 1973. Continuous echo-sounding was used to characterise and map the sediment distribution. Samples were analysed for practicle size, major element and trace metals. The samples were grouped according to their distribution in accumulating basins or non-depositional zones and means calculated for each parameter measured. The general composition was placed in context by comparison to similar analyses in Lakes Huron and Superior.     

Zooplankton filtration rates in Lake Huron,Georgian Bay and North channel

On three research cruises in 1981, zooplankton community filtration rates were measured at 4 stations: Saginaw Bay, mid-Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and North Channel. For all four stations, the highest rates were observed during the late-September cruise. The maximum observed rate was 137 000 ml d^–1 m^–3, while the lowest rate was 7200 ml d^–1 m^–3. The grazing experiments were performed on three size classes of radioactively labelled algal food (0.45–5 µm, 5–20 µm and 20–64 µm). In 11 of 12 experiments, the smallest size class of food yielded the highest filtration rate. For the late-May cruise we used published data on phytoplankton biomass for the Georgian Bay and North Channel stations to calculate community feeding rates of 0.09 and 0.015 mg C mg C m^–3 d^–1, respectively, and percent cropping rates of 0.74 and 0.35 per day, respectively. A comparison of our feeding rates to literature values for zooplankton biomass suggests that algal food alone may not be sufficient to sustain zooplankton growth at those stations.     

Plankton community structure and size spectra in the Georgian Bay and North Channel ecosystems

Patterns in the size distribution and taxonomic composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities for 1974 in Georgian Bay and the North Channel are described. The Diatomeae predominate the phytoplankton in both areas. Copepods, particularly Calanoida, comprise the greatest fraction of the zooplankton biomass. Normalized plankton biomass spectra for both ecosystems are typical of those found in Lake Superior and offshore Lake Huron. The plankton communities of Georgian Bay and the North Channel are thus similar to the most oligotrophic of the Laurentian Great Lakes.     

深圳湾浮游植物群落结构特征及其与环境因子的关系

为研究深圳湾海域浮游植物的群落结构及其与水环境的关系,分别于春夏秋冬(2013年8月至2014年4月)四个季度对深圳湾进行采样分析,并对调查区域内的浮游植物及其主要环境因子进行了相关性分析.结果表明,深圳湾海域共鉴定出浮游植物111种(包括变种和变型):硅藻35属86种,甲藻4属15种,绿藻6属6种,蓝藻3属4种,其中...     

Dynamics of ice algae and phytoplankton in Frobisher Bay

Summary Vertical and seasonal variations of ice algae and phytoplankton were studied in relation to their physico-chemical environments in Frobisher Bay from 1979 to 1986. The biomass, estimated by both chlorophyll a concentrations and cell counts, was greater in the ice algae than in the phytoplankton in the underlying sea-water during winter and spring. Algal distribution in the sea ice varied vertically and seasonally, while in the underlying water column the phytoplankton distribution was much less variable. The ice algal bloom occurred at the bottom of the ice, particularly in the lower 5 cm during late spring, while the phytoplankton bloom took place at depths between 1 and 10 m during early summer after the ice bloom was over. The community structure of the ice algae changed from pennate to centric diatoms as the ice melted. The centrics dominated through the fall, and then decreased as the pennates increased in dominance when the ice formed again in winter. Species diversity and number were greater in the sea ice than in the seawater, but they were similar vertically within each habitat. The evenness of the species distribution did not vary with ice thickness or water depth. Species composition, abundance and dominance of ice algae and phytoplankton continually change both vertically and seasonally. The differential abilities of the species to attain maximal growth rates under various environmental conditions may result in species succession. Evidence is given for the major role of environmental factors regulating the dynamics of ice algae and phytoplankton.     

Marine biodiversification in response to evolving phytoplankton stoichiometry

Diversification of the marine biosphere is intimately linked to the evolution of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nutrients, and primary productivity. A meta-analysis of the ratio of carbon-to-phosphorus buried in sedimentary rocks during the past 3 billion years indicates that both food quantity and, critically, food quality increased through time as a result of the evolving stoichiometry (nutrient content) of eukaryotic phytoplankton. Evolving food quantity and quality was primarily a function of broad tectonic cycles that influenced not just carbon burial, but also nutrient availability and primary productivity. Increasing nutrient availability during the middle-to-Late Proterozoic culminated in the production of food (phytoplankton biomass and fresh dead organic matter) with C:P Redfield ratios sufficient to finally promote geologically-rapid biodiversification during the Proterozoic–Phanerozoic transition. This resulted in further, massive nutrient sequestration into biomass that triggered positive feedback via nutrient recycling (bioturbation, mesozooplankton grazing) on phytoplankton productivity. Increasing rates and depths of bioturbation through the Phanerozoic suggest that nutrient recycling continued to increase. Increasing bioturbation and nutrient cycling appear to have been necessary to sustain the primary productivity and “energetics” (biomass, metabolic rates, and physical activity such as predation) of the marine biosphere because of the geologically-slow input of macronutrients like phosphorus from land and the continued sequestration of nutrients into marine and terrestrial biomass.     

流沙湾海草床海域浮游植物的时空分布及其影响因素

2008年2月至11月对广东省流沙湾海草床海域的浮游植物进行了周年的季节调查,结果共检出浮游植物151种:冬季57种、春季66种、夏季73种、秋季66种,其中硅藻门44属123种,占浮游植物种类数的81.4%;甲藻门11属26种,占浮游植物种类数的17.2%;绿藻门和蓝藻门各1属1种,各占浮游植物种类数的0.7%。优势种共有26种,主要为夜光藻Noctiluca scintillans、威氏角毛藻Chaetoceros weissflogii、圆海链藻Thalassiosira rotula、菱形海线藻Thalassionema nitzschioides等,都是链状群体或个体较细长或较大的种类,没有个体较短小的优势种群;各季节间共有种类数在22-43种,Jaccard种类相似性指数范围在0.211-0.448,多样性指数和均匀度平均值分别为2.12和0.35,群落结构较脆弱;细胞丰度在0.24×10⁴-5.72×10⁴ 个/L,秋季最高,夏季次之,冬季最低,属季节单峰型变化,与一般亚热带春、秋季出现丰度高峰不一致。相关性分析发现,浮游植物丰度与活性硅酸盐呈极显著的正相关,与盐度呈显著的负相关,与其他因子不存在明显的相关性;叶绿素a浓度与水温呈极显著的负相关,与浮游动物丰度呈显著的负相关。从浮游植物吸收N、P的配比分析,N为四季的营养限制因子,但从N、P的绝对值看,N和P都是全年的营养限制因子,因此其水质营养类型属于亚热带贫营养型。     

胶州湾叶绿素a浓度及浮游植物的粒级组成

2008年2、5、8和11月对胶州湾及邻近水域中表层叶绿素a浓度和浮游植物粒级组成进行了调查.结果表明:胶州湾内和湾外表层叶绿素a年平均浓度分别为4.90和2.03 mg·m^-3;叶绿素a浓度的平面分布呈现自东北部及近岸向中部、南部及湾外递减的趋势;叶绿素a浓度季节变化明显,冬季和夏季浓度较高,春季次之,呈现温带海域双峰型的变化趋势.胶州湾浮游植物粒级组成以微型浮游植物为主,平均占叶绿素a总量的60.9%,其次是小型浮游植物,超微型浮游植物所占比例最低,与我国近海浮游植物粒级组成基本一致.与历史资料相比,微型浮游植物所占比例有所增加,超微型浮游植物所占比例降低.     

Hydrogeomorphic modeling of low-marsh habitat in coastal Georgian Bay,Lake Huron

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Potential impacts of global climate change on the amount of low-marsh habitat in coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes are unknown, which may have important...     

The benthic macro-algae of Georgian Bay,the North Channel and their drainage basin

Thirty-nine subgeneric taxa of macroalgae have been collected from 83 sites in Georgian Bay, the North Channel and their drainage basin. There were 15 species in the Bay and Channel and 32 species in streams, rivers and impoundments in the basin. Only 8 of the Bay and Channel species were also found in the watershed. Cladophora glomerata was the most important species in Georgian Bay and the North Channel, having an estimated 640 × 10³ m² cover and 19 × 10⁴ kg fresh weight standing crop. However, this species was largely concentrated on the southwestern shorelines of these water bodies. Its distribution along the northeastern shoreline appears to be limited by total ion and phosphorus levels. Chara globularis/vulgaris was the subdominant taxon in Georgian Bay and the North Channel with an estimated 70 × 10³ m² cover and 15 × 10³ kg fresh weight biomass. This species was more widely distributed than C. glomerata. No other taxon contributed significantly to the standing crop including the frequently occurring Ulothrix zonata, Zygnema spp. and Spirogyra spp. The maximum benthic macroalgal biomass was estimated to be approximately 10% of the phytoplankton biomass.     

The ecological consequences of unpalatable prey: phytoplankton response to nutrient and predator additions

Thermoregulation is thought to be the most important factor influencing habitat selection by terrestrial ectotherms, at least in temperate climates. The cost-benefit model of thermoregulation predicts that ectotherms should invest more in thermoregulation when the costs of doing so are low (when the thermal quality of the habitat is high). However, the extent to which ectotherms vary their thermoregulatory behaviour according to the thermal quality of habitats is currently unknown. We studied the relationship between habitat use and thermoregulation in 53 black rat snakes using temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters. Among the habitats available to black rat snakes, edges had the highest thermal quality, retreat sites and forest were intermediate, and open habitats had the lowest thermal quality. Black rat snakes experienced more favourable body temperatures while in barns (retreat sites) than in edges, and in edges than in forest. During the day, the effectiveness and the extent of thermoregulation by the snakes were equal in barns and forest, but much lower in edges. In fact, black rat snakes selected thermally favourable microhabitats less than their availability while in edges. Therefore, more favourable body temperatures were not necessarily achieved in thermally superior habitats by increased thermoregulation, but simply because favourable temperatures were encountered more often in those habitats. This result is contrary to the central prediction of the cost-benefit model of thermoregulation and we suggest that this model should be modified to put more emphasis on other costs of thermoregulation, such as increased predation risk or lost foraging opportunities.     

Simulated changes in extent of Georgian Bay low-marsh habitat under multiple lake levels

Wetlands Ecology and Management - The extent of coastal wetlands in Georgian Bay is controlled primarily by the water level of Lake Huron, which directly affects the amount of critical habitat...     

Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Chesapeake Bay

A study of the ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and related vibrios in the Rhode River area of Chesapeake Bay was carried out over the period December 1970 through August 1971. The incidence of V. parahaemolyticus and related vibrios was found to be correlated with water temperature. The vibrios could not be detected in the water column during the winter months, although they were present in sediment. From late spring to early summer, when water temperatures were 14 +/- 1 C, vibrios over-wintering in sediment were released from the bottom communities and attached to zooplankton, proliferating as the temperature rose. The number of vibrios in and on plankton was reflected in the water column bacterial population densities at water temperatures of ca. 19 C. Thus, temperature of the water column in the range of 14 to 19 C was found to be critical in the annual cycle of the vibrios. Interaction between sediment, water, and zooplankton was found to be essential in the natural estuarine ecosystem. Bacterial counts of zooplankton were found to be temperature dependent. The bacterial population associated with zooplankton was found to be predominantly on external surfaces and was specific, differing from that of the sediment. Vibrio spp. and related organisms comprised the total bacterial population associated with zooplankton in summer months. The ecological role of Vibrio spp., including V. parahaemolyticus, was found to be significant, with respect to their property of chitin digestion and in relation to the population dynamics of zooplankton in Chesapeake Bay.     

A multiomics approach to study the microbiome response to phytoplankton blooms

Phytoplankton blooms are predictable features of marine and freshwater habitats. Despite a good knowledge base of the environmental factors controlling blooms, complex interactions between the bacterial and archaeal communities and phytoplankton bloom taxa are only now emerging. Here, the current research on bacterial community’s structural and functional response to phytoplankton blooms is reviewed and discussed and further research is proposed. More attention should be paid on structure and function of autotrophic bacteria and archaea during phytoplankton blooms. A multiomics integration approach is needed to investigate bacterial and archaeal communities’ diversity, metabolic diversity, and biogeochemical functions of microbial interactions during phytoplankton blooms.