Summer mesozooplankton distribution near Novaya Zemlya (eastern Barents Sea)

Regional variations in mesozooplankton composition, abundance and biomass were studied during a cruise in August 2006 near Novaya Zemlya Archipelago (eastern Barents Sea) using Juday net hauls from the bottom (or 100 m depth) to the surface. A comparison with multiannual literature values revealed that the mean temperature and salinity in the south and centre of the study area were similar to typical values, while temperature in the north was significantly higher. A total of 36 species and higher taxa were identified. Mesozooplankton abundance and biomass varied from 47 to 851 ind m⁻³ and from 5 to 74 mg dry weight m⁻³, respectively. Copepods dominated the mesozooplankton community, reaching 73–98% and 61–97% of the total abundance and biomass. Calanus finmarchicus and Oithona similis were the most abundant species at all stations. The biodiversities (Shannon indices) of the mesozooplankton community varied between stations from 1.10 to 2.46 (estimated from species abundances) and from 0.19 to 1.92 (estimated from species biomasses), averaging 1.93 ± 0.127 and 1.34 ± 0.151, respectively. Three groups at the 48% level of dissimilarity of species abundance were delineated by cluster analyses. The clusters differed significantly with respect to temperature and salinity. The total mesozooplankton abundance and biomass as well as quantitative parameters of most common taxa scaled negatively with temperature.     

Mesozooplankton structure in Dolgaya Bay (Barents Sea)

The community structure of mesozooplankton was investigated in Dolgaya Bay (southern Barents Sea), a subarctic fjord, using a Juday net (0.168-mm mesh size) in July, 2008. A total of 39 species and higher taxa were found. Average abundance, biomass and diversity (±standard error) were 153,403 ± 15,855 ind m⁻², 570 ± 61 mg dry mass m⁻², and 2.25 ± 0.09, respectively. Copepods were the most numerous species. The mesozooplankton communities were dominated by omnivores (Oithona similis and Acartia spp.). Vertical distribution of the mesozooplankton was characterized by copepod dominance at each sampled layer. There were no significant correlations among physical variables and biological parameters, except negative correlation for the mean biomass and mean water temperature.     

Basin scale distribution of zooplankton in the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean) in late autumn

Mesozooplankton biomass and abundance were evaluated in epipelagic waters at 59 stations covering the Italian sector of the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean) in December 1990. This region is characterised by a cyclonic circulation which encloses a central divergence zone and is associated with a main thermohaline front offshore the western Ligurian coast. At the end of autumn, mesozooplankton biomass (range: 0.80–4.24 mg DW m⁻³) and the abundance (range: 83.8–932 ind. m⁻³) were lower in the divergence zone. On the contrary, in the Ligurian frontal zone at the periphery of the divergence and on the eastern continental shelf the greatest values of biomass and abundance were recorded. Copepods and appendicularians dominated the mesozooplankton community, the main taxa being the copepods Clausocalanus spp. (46% of total zooplankton) and Oithona spp. (15%) and the appendicularian Fritillaria spp. (12%). Three hydrological sub-regions, i.e. the divergence, the eastern continental shelf and the periphery of the divergence, were characterised by different zooplankton communities and characteristic species. Environmental differences between the three zones were mainly related to changes in bottom topography, sea surface temperatures and quantity of particulate organic matter. Vertical mesozooplankton abundance and taxa distribution from the surface to 1,900 m depth were also examined in one station. The results showed that the bulk of the community was concentrated in the upper 200 m, small copepods being dominant particularly in the upper 50 m. The copepod community was more diversified in sub-superficial waters, with a maximum observed in the 200–400 m layer. The distributions of main zooplankton taxa described in epipelagic waters in the eastern Ligurian Sea in autumn were compared with their distribution at surface in the north-western Mediterranean obtained by sampling performed with the Continuous Plankton Recorder in 1997–1999. The analysis of the zooplankton community in CPR samples confirms the dominance of small copepods (Paracalanus spp., Clausocalanus spp., Oithona spp.) and appendicularians in the north-western Mediterranean in late autumn-winter and shows that their distribution is mainly related to the main mesoscale hydrographic features characterising this basin. Guest editors: S. Souissi & G. A. Boxshall Copepoda in the Mediterranean: Papers from the 9th International Conference on Copepoda, Hammamet, Tunisia     

Mesozooplankton structure in the northern White Sea in July 2008

The mesozooplankton of the northern White Sea and Mezen Bay was investigated at nine stations in July 2008 using a Juday net (168 μm mesh size). A total of 39 taxa (species and higher taxa) were found in the samples. Average abundance, biomass, and diversity (Shannon index) were (±SE) 120,793 ± 70,439 ind. m⁻², 443 ± 216 mg DW m⁻², and 1.41 ± 0.11, respectively. Copepods were most numerous. Overall, herbivores dominated primarily Cirripedia nauplii and Pseudocalanus minutus. Significant correlations were observed among mean temperature, salinity, and mean mesozooplankton abundance and biomass. Our data suggest that salinity and intensive local currents could be the main factors responsible for the distribution of mesozooplankton in the northern White Sea. The average mesozooplankton biomass was higher than in previous studies, indicating a possible climatic impact on the mesozooplankton community.     

Mesozooplankton biomass and indices of grazing and metabolic activity in Antarctic waters

Mesozooplankton abundance, body area spectrum, biomass, gut fluorescence and electron transfer system (ETS) activity were studied in the Antarctic Peninsula during the post-bloom scenario in these waters. Values of abundance and biomass were rather low and decreased sharply from the slope waters to the coastal area. In contrast, specific gut fluorescence and ETS activity were high in the coastal area and decreased through the shelf-break. Large copepods were very scarce, similarly to the post-bloom conditions in phytoplankton where large cells are not abundant and small cells such as flagellates dominate the water column. The vertical distribution showed two well defined layers by day, one at the surface which corresponded to krill organisms and a second at depth (>300 m) formed mainly by the large copepod Metridia gerlachei. During the short night, this layer ascended at the time that krill at the surface migrated to deeper waters as observed from acoustics and net sampling. This observation and the absence of large copepods over the shelf suggest that krill consumption on large phytoplankton cells during the bloom is followed by an increase in predation upon mesozooplankton. It also suggests that krill decrease the abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton over the shelf and continues their predation upon mesopelagic copepods during the post-bloom in Antarctic waters. This behaviour could explain the long ago described impoverishment in mesozooplankton south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.     

Avoidance of hydrodynamically mixed environments by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mnemiopsis leidyi</Emphasis> (Ctenophora: Lobata) in open-sea populations from Patagonia,Argentina

Biomass distributions of the ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, were collected during a week-long survey program in a tidal front along the Patagonian shelf in December 1989. Average ctenophore biomass concentrations varied significantly along a north–south gradient and in stratified compared to unstratified waters. The relative vertical distribution of M. leidyi biomass appeared to be constrained by surface levels of vertical shear. Vertical distributions of ctenophore biomass were highly variable at low levels of vertical shear (<4 s⁻¹) at the surface, but at higher levels of surface vertical shear ctenophores occurred deeper in the water column where shear levels were lower. These results indicate that physical conditions are important factors influencing the distribution of M. leidyi along the Patagonian shelf during summer months.     

Chlorophyll/nutrient characteristics in the water masses to the north of South Georgia, Southern Ocean

Chlorophyll a and nutrient concentrations along with temperature and salinity values were measured at 22 CTD stations along a 735-km transect running to the northwest of the island of South Georgia, Southern Ocean. Measurements were repeated during five summer surveys (January and February 1994, January 1996, December 1996, January 1998) and one spring survey (October 1997). The transect sampled Sub-Antarctic Zone water in the north, Polar Frontal Zone water and Antarctic Zone water in the south. Chlorophyll a concentrations were lowest to the north of the transect and frequently high (up to 17 mg m⁻³) in the deep open ocean of the Antarctic Zone. Sub-surface peaks were measured in all zones and chlorophyll a was detectable to a depth of 150 m. There was a clear latitudinal temperature gradient in the near-surface waters (0–50 m), the warmest water occurring in the north (∼12 °C), and the coolest in the Antarctic Zone (∼2 °C). There was also a well-defined latitudinal gradient in summer near-surface silicate concentrations (∼2, 4, and 10 mmol m⁻³ in the Sub-Antarctic Zone, the Polar Frontal Zone and the Antarctic Zone, respectively), increasing to >20 mmol m⁻³ near South Georgia. Distinct differences in silicate concentrations were also evident in all three zones to a depth of 500 m. Near-surface nitrate and phosphate concentrations were relatively low to the north of the transect (∼14 and 1 mmol m⁻³, respectively) and higher in the Polar Frontal Zone and Antarctic Zone (∼18 and 1.4 mmol m⁻³, respectively). Ammonium and nitrite were restricted to the upper 200 m of the water column, and exhibited sub-surface concentration peaks, the lowest being in the Sub-Antarctic Zone (0.68 and 0.25 mmol m⁻³, respectively) and the highest in the Antarctic Zone (1.72 and 0.29 mmol m⁻³, respectively). Surface (∼6 m) spring nutrient measurements provided an indication of pre-bloom conditions; ammonium and nitrite concentrations were low (∼0.27 and 0.28 mmol m⁻³, respectively), while silicate, nitrate and phosphate concentrations were high and similar to previously measured winter values (e.g. ∼26, 23, 2 mmol m⁻³, respectively in the Antarctic Zone). Although the values measured were very variable, and there was some evidence of a seasonal growth progression, the chlorophyll a and nutrient distribution patterns were dominated by intercruise (interannual) factors. Approximate nutrient depletions (spring minus summer) appeared similar in the Polar Frontal Zone and Antarctic Zone for nitrate and phosphate, while silicate showed a marked latitudinal increase from north to south throughout the transect. Highest chlorophyll a concentrations coincided with the highest apparent silicate depletions over the deep ocean of the Antarctic Zone. In this area, relatively warm, easterly flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current water meets cooler, westerly flowing water that is influenced by the Weddell-Scotia Confluence and is rich in nutrients, especially silicate. Accepted: 27 November 1999     

Response of Antarctic benthic communities to disturbance: first results from the artificial Benthic Disturbance Experiment on the eastern Weddell Sea Shelf, Antarctica

The long-term benthic disturbance experiment (BENDEX) was started on the eastern Weddell Sea shelf off Austasen (Antarctica) during ‘Polarstern’ cruise ANT XXI/2 in December 2003 to simulate the impact of grounding icebergs on the seabed and follow the steps and timescales of recovery of disturbed benthos and demersal fish communities. Here, we report the basic approach and first results for this experimental field study. By means of 11 densely-placed hauls with a modified bottom trawl, a seabed area of approximately 100 × 1000 m was artificially scoured to inflict a similar damage to the benthic habitats as a grounding iceberg. Before the disturbance event and 11 days after it, the seafloor communities were sampled (invertebrate assemblages by multibox corers, the fish fauna by trawl hauls) and comparatively analyzed. Sediment texture and chemistry was not significantly altered by the heavy disturbance inflicted by repeated trawling, whereas the fauna was negatively affected. Invertebrate benthic biomass was drastically reduced by a factor of 10, while mean abundances were only slightly reduced. Demersal fish biomass and abundance were slightly but not significantly smaller after the disturbance. Effects of disturbance became more evident in the composition of the fish fauna, with Trematomus pennelli and T. hansoni being dominant at disturbed sites, whereas Chionodraco myersi was the dominant species in trawl catches from undisturbed stations.     

Composition and distribution of zooplankton in the Laptev Sea and adjacent Nansen Basin during summer, 1993

Zooplankton composition and distribution were investigated on the Laptev Sea shelf, over the continental slope and in the adjacent deep Nansen Basin during the joint German-Russian expedition “Arctic 93” with RV Polarstern and Ivan Kireyev in August/September 1993. In the shelf area biomass decreased from west to east with the lowest values in the area influenced by the Lena river runoff. A gradual increase of biomass from the shallow to the deep area correlated with water depth. Total biomass ranged between 0.1 and 1.5 g m⁻² on the shelf and 4.7 and 7.9 g m⁻² in the adjacent Nansen Basin. On the shelf Calanus glacialis/finmarchicus dominated overall. The contribution of brackish-water taxa was low in the west, where high salinity and southward currents from the Arctic Basin supported a marine neritic community, but on the southern and eastern Laptev shelf, in the areas of freshwater influence, brackish-water taxa contributed up to 27% of the total biomass. On the slope and in deep areas a few large Arctic copepod species, Calanus glacialis, C. hyperboreus and Metridia longa, composed the bulk of biomass and determined the pattern of its vertical distribution. The export of Calanus species from the Nansen Basin onto the Laptev shelf appears to be of great importance for the shelf communities. In turn, the eastern outer shelf and slope area of the Laptev Sea are thought to have a pronounced effect on the deep basin, modifying the populations entering the central Arctic. Received: 25 March 1997 / Accepted: 18 July 1997     

Mesozooplankton community in the Bay of Bengal (India): spatial variability during the summer monsoon

This study addresses the spatial variability in mesozooplankton biomass and composition in the Central and Western Bay of Bengal (India) during the summer monsoon season of 2001. Perennially warmer sea surface temperatures (>28°C), stratified top layer (sea surface salinity, 28–33 psu), high turbidity, and low nutrient concentrations due to weak/null upwelling and light limitation make the Bay of Bengal a region of low primary productivity. Despite this, mesozooplankton biomass values, i.e. 2.9–104 mg C m⁻³ in the Central Bay and 1.3–31 mg C m⁻³ in the Western Bay, observed in the mixed layer (2–51 m) during the summer monsoon were in the same range as reported from the more productive Arabian Sea. Mesozooplankton biomass was five times and density 18 times greater at stations with signatures of cold-core eddies, causing a higher spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton distribution. Among the 27 taxonomic groups recorded during the season, Copepoda was the most abundant group in all samples followed by Chaetognatha. The dominant order of Copepoda, Calanoida, was represented by 132 species in a total of 163 species recorded. Oncaea venusta was the key copepod species in the Bay. In the Central Bay, the predominant copepod species were carnivorous/omnivorous vis-a-vis mostly herbivores in the Western Bay. Pleuromamma indica increased to its maximum abundance at 18°N in the Central Bay, coinciding with the lowest dissolved oxygen concentrations. The Central Bay had higher mesozooplankton biomass, copepod species richness and diversity than in the Western Bay. Although zooplankton biomass and densities were greater at the eddy stations, correlation between zooplankton and chl a was not statistically significant. It appears that the grazer mesozooplankton rapidly utilize the enhanced phytoplankton production in cold-core eddies.     

Spatial distributions of Southern Ocean mesozooplankton communities have been resilient to long‐term surface warming

The biogeographic response of oceanic planktonic communities to climatic change has a large influence on the future stability of marine food webs and the functioning of global biogeochemical cycles. Temperature plays a pivotal role in determining the distribution of these communities and ocean warming has the potential to cause major distributional shifts, particularly in polar regions where the thermal envelope is narrow. We considered the impact of long‐term ocean warming on the spatial distribution of Southern Ocean mesozooplankton communities through examining plankton abundance in relation to sea surface temperature between two distinct periods, separated by around 60 years. Analyses considered 16 dominant mesozooplankton taxa (in terms of biomass and abundance) in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, from net samples and in situ temperature records collected during the Discovery Investigations (1926–1938) and contemporary campaigns (1996–2013). Sea surface temperature was found to have increased significantly by 0.74°C between the two eras. The corresponding sea surface temperature at which community abundance peaked was also significantly higher in contemporary times, by 0.98°C. Spatial projections indicated that the geographical location of community peak abundance had remained the same between the two eras despite the poleward advance of sea surface isotherms. If the community had remained within the same thermal envelope as in the 1920s–1930s, community peak abundance would be 500 km further south in the contemporary era. Studies in the northern hemisphere have found that dominant taxa, such as calanoid copepods, have conserved their thermal niches and tracked surface isotherms polewards. The fact that this has not occurred in the Southern Ocean suggests that other selective pressures, particularly food availability and the properties of underlying water masses, place greater constraints on spatial distributions in this region. It further demonstrates that this community is thermally resilient to present levels of sea surface warming.     

Mesozooplankton beneath the summer sea ice in McMurdo Sound,Antarctica: abundance,species composition,and DMSP content

The summer Phaeocystis antarctica bloom increases under-ice phytoplankton biomass in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The magnitude of mesozooplankton grazing on this bloom is unknown, and determines whether this production is available to the pelagic food web. We measured mesozooplankton abundance and body content of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) during the McMurdo Sound austral summer (2006 and 2006–2007). Abundance varied from 20 to 4,500 ind. m⁻³ (biomass 0.02–274.0 mg C m⁻³), with peaks in mid-December and late-January/February. Abundance was higher but total zooplankton biomass lower in our study compared to previous reports. Copepods and the pteropod Limacina helicina dominated the zooplankton in both abundance and biomass. DMSP was detected in all zooplankton groups, with highest concentrations in copepod nauplii and L. helicina (95 and 54 nmol mg⁻¹ body C, respectively). Experiments suggested that L. helicina obtains DMSP by directly grazing on P. antarctica, which often accumulates to high biomass under the summer sea ice in McMurdo Sound.     

Water mass and bathymetric characteristics of polar cod habitat along the continental shelf and slope of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas

Relatively little is known about the distribution of fish in deep water (>200 m) in the Beaufort Sea. Data collected by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler operated in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in summer were examined for evidence of fish biomass detections between 18 and 400 m. The presence of fish in waters between 1 and 30 m was explored opportunistically with a non-scientific echo sounder. Evaluation of findings was enhanced by measurements of water column properties (temperature, salinity, fluorescence and transmissivity). Relatively small shoals of fish were detected on the Chukchi shelf and eastern Chukchi shelf break, and also on the Alaskan and Canadian Beaufort shelves in the upper 20 m (T = 2–5°C). Much larger shoals (putative polar cod) were detected within Atlantic Water along the Beaufort continental slope (250–350 m) and near the bottom of Barrow and Mackenzie canyons, where temperatures were above 0°C. A warm-water plume of Alaska Coastal Current water with high concentrations of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish was found extending along the shelf 300 km eastward of Barrow Canyon. In contrast to the warm surface and Atlantic Water layers, very few fish were found in colder, intermediate depth Pacific-origin water between them. The large biomass of fish in the Atlantic Water along the continental slope of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas represents previously undescribed polar cod habitat. It has important implications with regard to considerations of resource development in this area as well as understanding impacts of climate change.     

Spatial variability of the mesozooplankton biomass and ichthyoplankton in the Canary region, in autumn 1991

In this paper, we study whether the variability introduced inthe Canary region by the Canary Islands on perturbing the generalflow of the Canary Current and trade winds, and by the NorthwestAfrican upwelling, is manifested in the mesozooplankton biomassdistribution and ichthyoplankton population. Two transects weresampled and two stations were occupied for 24 h during the firstpart of the cruise Canarias 9110. One transect and one stationwere located to the north, upstream of the Canary Islands, inthe ‘non-perturbed’ zone, and the other transectand station were to the south, downstream of the islands, inthe ‘perturbed’ zone. Oceanographic conditions,as represented by the vertical temperature structure, changedboth latitudinally, between upstream unperturbed and downstreamperturbed conditions, and longitudinally, between upwellingand oceanic situations. However, differences were evident onlyin mesozooplankton biomass and in the latitudinal sense. Likewise,the results obtained suggest that (i) there is an interconnectionbetween the neritic fish populations of the Macaronesian archipelagos,in a north–south sense and in a southerly direction, bymeans of the transport of fish larvae by the Azores and Canarycurrents, and (ii) this interconnection could affect both thosespecies whose larvae are well adapted for a long survival inthe pelagic environment, possessing morphological specializations,and those whose larvae do not present these characteristics.     

Spring zooplankton distribution in the Bay of Biscay from 1998 to 2006 in relation with anchovy recruitment

The objective of this study was to investigate whether successiverecruitment failures in the anchovy fishery in the Bay of Biscaywere due to changes in the zooplankton biomass or composition.Image analysis and automatic recognition were used to analysezooplankton samples collected during diel egg production methodspring surveys from 1998 to 2006. We were not able to detectany trend in zooplankton biomass during this period. The zooplanktonspatial distribution showed permanent features with large organismsbeing more abundant over the shelf break and outer areas. Finally,we found a negative correlation between anchovy recruitmentand zooplankton biomass which suggests that the 2002–2006failures in anchovy recruitment in the Bay of Biscay are notdue to a decrease in mesozooplankton biomass.     

Growing season temperatures limit growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings across a wide geographic transect

We grew potted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings from a single provenance under well watered and fertilized conditions at four locations along a 610 km north–south transect that spanned most of the species range to examine how differences in the above-ground environment would affect growth rate, biomass partitioning and gas exchange characteristics. Across the transect there was an 8.7°C difference in average growing season temperature, and temperature proved to be the key environmental factor controlling growth rate. Biomass growth was strongly correlated with differences in mean growing season temperature (R ² = 0.97) and temperature sum (R ² = 0.92), but not with differences in mean daily photosynthetic photon flux density or mean daily vapor pressure deficit. Biomass partitioning between root and shoot was unchanged across sites. There was substantial thermal acclimation of leaf respiration, but not photosynthesis. In mid-summer, leaf respiration rates measured at 25°C ranged from 0.2 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in seedlings from the warmest location to 1.1 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in seedlings from the coolest site. The greatest biomass growth occurred near the middle of the range, indicating that temperatures were sub- and supra-optimal at the northern and southern ends on the range, respectively. However, in the middle of the range, there was an 18% decrease in biomass increment between two sites, corresponding to 1.4°C increase in mean growing season temperature. This suggests that thermal acclimation was insufficient to compensate for this relatively small increase in temperature.     

Benthic food web structure in the southeastern Chukchi Sea: an assessment using ��13C and ��15N analyses

The benthos of the southeastern Chukchi Sea shelf is typified by high faunal abundance and biomass resulting from settlement of a large proportion of seasonal phytoplankton under highly nutritious offshore Bering Shelf Anadyr Water (BSAW). In contrast, inshore Alaska Coastal Water (ACW) is much less productive. Yet the Chukchi Bight and Kotzebue Sound, located under ACW in the southeastern Chukchi Sea, contain a substantial faunal abundance and biomass of invertebrates, fishes and marine mammals. We examined food web structure to gain an understanding of how a relatively rich benthic fauna with a high biomass can be supported under ACW with a supposedly low flux of carbon to the benthos. We measured stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) values of selected organisms (from zooplankton to fishes) as markers of food sources and trophic position to compare fauna on the shelf under BSAW with that in the Chukchi Bight and Kotzebue Sound under ACW. Relative isotope position of organisms in all three regions was similar, even though some pelagic species within the Sound were depleted in δ¹³C compared to the other regions. We attribute the depletion to the influence of terrestrially derived carbon. We suggest that the hydrodynamics along an oceanic front between the Chukchi Shelf and the Chukchi Bight support the advection of nutrient-rich POC into the Bight and Sound as additional food sources to local production. We conclude that local conditions and multiple POC sources in the Bight and Sound support the substantial population of benthic invertebrates and the fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals that feed on them.     

Bacterioplankton Community Variation Across River to Ocean Environmental Gradients

Coastal zones encompass a complex spectrum of environmental gradients that each impact the composition of bacterioplankton communities. Few studies have attempted to address these gradients comprehensively. We generated a synoptic, 16S rRNA gene-based bacterioplankton community profile of a coastal zone by applying the fingerprinting technique denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to water samples collected from the Columbia River, estuary, and plume, and along coastal transects covering 360 km of the Oregon and Washington coasts and extending to the deep ocean (>2,000 m). Communities were found to cluster into five distinct groups based on location in the system (ANOSIM, p < 0.003): estuary, plume, epipelagic, shelf bottom (depth < 150 m), and slope bottom (depth > 650 m). Across all environments, abiotic factors (salinity, temperature, depth) explained most of the community variability (ρ = 0.734). But within each coastal environment, biotic factors explained most of the variability. Thus, structuring physical factors in coastal zones, such as salinity and temperature, define the boundaries of many distinct microbial habitats, but within these habitats variability in microbial communities is explained by biological gradients in primary and secondary productivity.     

Controls on reef development and the terrigenous-carbonate interface on a shallow shelf,Nicaragua (Central America)

Marine geology and physical oceanographic data collected during two field projects (∼4 months) on the Caribbean shelf of Nicaragua indicate a surprising dominance of carbonate deposition and reef growth on a shelf that is receiving an abnormally large volume of terrigenous sediments. High rainfall rates (∼400–500 cm/year), coupled with a warm tropical climate, encourage rapid denudation of the country’s central volcanic highland and transport of large volumes of terrigenous sediment and fresh water to the coast. Estimates suggest that three times more fresh water and fifteen times more sediment are introduced per unit length of coastline than on the east coast of the United States. Distribution of the terrigenous facies, development of carbonate sediment suites, and the location and quality of viable reefs are strongly controlled by the dynamic interaction near the coasts of highly turbid fresh to brackish water effluents from thirteen rivers with clear marine waters of the shelf. Oceanic water from the central Caribbean drift current intersects the shelf and moves slowely in a dominant northwest direction toward the Yucatan Channel. A sluggish secondary gyre moves to the south toward Costa Rica. In contrast, the turbid coastal water is deflected to the south in response to density gradients, surface water slopes, and momentum supplied by the steady northeast trade winds. A distinct two-layered flow is commonly present in the sediment-rich coastal boundary zone, which is typically 10–20 km wide. The low-salinity upper layer is frictionally uncoupled from the ambient shelf water and therefore can expand out of the normally coherent coastal boundary zone during periods of abnormal flooding or times when instability is introduced into the northeast trades. Reef distribution, abruptness of the terrigenous-carbonate interface, and general shelf morphology reflect the long-term dynamic structure of the shelf waters. A smooth-bottomed ramp of siliciclastic sands to silts and clays mantles the inner shelf floor in a linear belt paralleling the coast. This belt generally corresponds to the western flank of the coastal boundary zone. Occurrence of reefs is generally confined to areas outside this zone. Terrigenous clays and silts of the inner shelf are abruptly (<20 km from the coast) replaced byHalimeda-rich sediment of the middle and outer shelf. Within the carbonate facies belt, reef complexes thrive as small, isolated masses; large, reef-capped platforms; reef fringes around islands; and shelfedge structures with vertical relief that can exceed 25 m. In general, the frequency and proliferation of reefs increase away from the turbid coastal boundary layer and toward the cooler and saltier water that upwells at the shelf margin.     

Plant diversity and dry-matter dynamics of peri-urban plant communities in an Indian dry tropical region

The emergence of variety of land-use changes due to continuous anthropogenic pressure in peri-urban areas may concomitantly result in modification of the structure of associated plant communities for their sustainable growth. In the present study, plant diversity, and above- and belowground biomass distribution among species were investigated to understand their dynamics across different season, soil, and site conditions in a dry tropical peri-urban region in India. From four study sites that covered contrasting land uses: abandoned brick kiln (ABK), grazing land (GL), Kali river bank (KRB), and agricultural land (AL), a total of 360 monoliths were randomly extracted in three seasons, and dry weights were estimated for aboveground and belowground parts of species individuals. Seasonal soil samples of the sites were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics. Of the total 87 recorded species that were mainly annual weeds and ruderals, 77% were forbs and 23% grasses. The ranges of plant biomass recorded across all sites and seasons were: aboveground 228–738 g m⁻², belowground 83–288 g m⁻², and a total of 344–1,026 g m⁻². The dominance of species differed between above- and belowground; some species dominated only above- or belowground, and others dominated in both layers. Above- and belowground biomass of the sites, differential community-biomass allocation to above- and belowground parts and species dominants varied significantly with site and season. ABK and AL sites showed lower species diversity and soil nutrients compared to GL and KRB sites. Belowground biomass significantly declined with increasing soil organic C and total N, indicating altered dry matter allocation under resource-scarce habitat conditions. Higher diversity occurred at both low- and high-biomass sites, reflective of enhanced ability of these plant communities to exploit resources maximally in spatio-temporal pattern.