Induced turbulence in rotating bottles affects phytoplankton productivity measurements in turbid waters

Enclosing phytoplankton in bottles to measure photosynthesisimposes an artificial environment on the sample that can influencerate processes. The absence of turbulence inside incubationbottles can affect productivity measurements by altering boththe irradiance level and sedimentation rates of confined cellsand particles. In Fourleague Bay, LA, a turbid lagoon-estuary,we compared productivity measurements in motionless bottlesto those in bottles that were continuously rotated at 15 r.p.m.to prevent the sedimentation of bottle contents. Productivitydiffered significantly in rotating and non-rotating treatments.At low light levels, rotation often enhanced production, probablydue to increased average irradiance. At high light levels, rotationreduced productivity by 10–83%, probably due to increasedphotoinhibition because the average position of the planktonwas closer to the light source than those in non-rotated bottles.Furthermore, in non-rotated bottles a greater proportion ofsediment particles and cells settled to the bottom, potentiallyshielding cells from photoinhibition. Cell density of the 8µm fraction was nearly 100% higher at the bottom of non-rotatedbottles (2.5+10⁸ cells l^–1) than at the surface aftera 3.5 h incubation. In quiescent water samples, light increasedby >35% in 20 min as a result of rapid particle settlingwhen stirring ceased. Integrated production rates were overestimatedin non-rotated samples by up to 95%, demonstrating the importanceof maintaining a cell-particle suspension which approximatesthat in situ when measuring productivity in turbid systems.     

Phytoplankton productivity in findley lake

Findley Lake is a dimictic, oligotrophic, subalpine lake located in the western Cascade Mountains, Washington. The lake is snow covered for most of the year so that the growing season was 3.5 months in 1971 and 4.5 months in 1972. Rapid melt of the lake's snow cover in summer allowed the sudden development of a phytoplankton productivity maximum (as measured by the ¹⁴C tracer method) of 86 mg m⁻² hr⁻¹ and a peak of 48 mg chlorophyll a per m¹ within two weeks of surface clearing in 1972, followed by a rapid decline of productivity and biomass. Annual production (between 10 October, 1971 and 21 October, 1972) was 36 g/m² in the 27.5 m water column. Autotrophic carbon assimilation during the snow-covered period was insignificant. The total production for the lake in 1972 was 530 kg carbon. The concentration of available nitrogen (NO₂ + NO₃ + NH₃ as N) at 15 m ranged from 12 to 76 mg/m³ while PO₄-P ranged from 0.5 to 8.3 mg/m³. In vitro nutrient enrichment experiments with natural phytoplankton communities from the lake indicated that while N and P together were growth limiting, P alone produced a growth response while N alone did not. Contributions to production from net-, nanno-, and ultraplankton were determined by fractional filtration of ¹⁴C-labeled phytoplankton samples. The nannoplankton, dominated by diatoms, accounted for 58% to 94% of productivity.     

Navigation by light polarization in clear and turbid waters

Certain terrestrial animals use sky polarization for navigation. Certain aquatic species have also been shown to orient according to a polarization stimulus, but the correlation between underwater polarization and Sun position and hence the ability to use underwater polarization as a compass for navigation is still under debate. To examine this issue, we use theoretical equations for per cent polarization and electric vector (e-vector) orientation that account for the position of the Sun, refraction at the air-water interface and Rayleigh single scattering. The polarization patterns predicted by these theoretical equations are compared with measurements conducted in clear and semi-turbid coastal sea waters at 2 m and 5 m depth over sea floors of 6 m and 28 m depth. We find that the per cent polarization is correlated with the Sun's elevation only in clear waters. We furthermore find that the maximum value of the e-vector orientation angle equals the angle of refraction only in clear waters, in the horizontal viewing direction, over the deeper sea floor. We conclude that navigation by use of underwater polarization is possible under restricted conditions, i.e. in clear waters, primarily near the horizontal viewing direction, and in locations where the sea floor has limited effects on the light's polarization.     

Phytoplankton and pelagic primary productivity in Øvre Heimdalsvatn

A phytoplankton investigation was carried out in the subalpine, low-productive Norwegian lake Øvre Heimdalsvatn in 1969–70 and 1972. This paper describes the temporal and spatial distribution of the standing stock of phytoplankton, and phytoplankton primary productivity. The annual average primary productivity in 1972 was 4.0–4.9 mg C m⁻³ d⁻¹; the annual average standing stock varied from 120 mg m⁻³ (freshweight) in 1969–70, to 250 mg m⁻³ in 1972. Phytoplankton species composition and size distribution is discussed. Throughout the year the phytoplankton is dominated by small (ultraplankton) species; μ-algae (< 5 μm) showed cell concentrations up to 15 mill. cells 1⁻¹. The dominating group was chrysophytes; cryptophytes, dinoflagellates or green algae were at times abundant. A phytoplankton monthly budget and a diagram showing annual average carbon flow through the standing stock of phytoplankton are presented; the phytoplankton dynamics in Øvre Heimdalsvatn is compared to that of other low-productive lakes.     

The contribution of phytoplankton productivity in turbid freshwaters to their trophic status

Certain factors influencing phytoplankton productivity are accentuated in turbid waters. They include mixing, spectral quality shifts, scattering, light fluctuations, and overall light attenuation. Measurements of productivity is influenced by the presence of inorganic turbidity. Together with the above factors high turbidity causes difficulties to assess and model phytoplankton productivity. Estimations of ^B, P_m ^B, I_k and _m only reflect on the physiological condition of the phytoplankton, which differs little between water types of temperate regions. Measurement of integral vertical productivity, efficiency and fractional absorption by the phytoplankton of light energy conversion, however, are greatly influenced by inorganic turbidity. Because of high ratios of mixing to euphotic depth, the critical mixing depth is one of the most important factors influencing overall productivity in turbid waters.     

厦门近岸海域大型底栖动物次级生产力

于2013年5月和11月在厦门近岸海域设置67个站位进行大型底栖动物定量调查,运用Brey(1990)经验公式对该海域的次级生产力进行估算。结果表明:该海域大型底栖动物年均总次级生产力P和P/B值分别为4.6±10.1 g AFDW·m-2·a-1和1.0±0.4a-1,软体动物和多毛类为该海域P值的主要贡献类群,秋季的P值略高于春季,同安湾的P值明显高于大嶝海域、九龙江口、厦门外海域和围头湾。相关性分析显示,该海域次级生产力与沉积物有机质含量以及水体底温呈显著相关,底质类型以及采砂、航道清淤、环境污染等人类活动干扰也是影响次级生产力分布的主要因素。     

Fish-mediated zooplankton community structure in shallow turbid waters: a mesocosm study

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Turbidity influences the success of fish feeding, but little is known about the difference in the effects of turbidity as a result of organic and inorganic matter....     

Phytoplankton productivity and chlorophyll-A concentration of Oguta Lake in Southeastern Nigeria

The phytoplankton productivity and chlorphyll-a concentration of Oguta Lake, the largest natural lake in south-eastern Nigeria, are presented (Dec. 1983. Nov. 1984). The gross productivity ranged from 1.3 to 3.77 g C.m^–2.day^–1 for the water column, dropped during the period of heavy rainfall and varied with depth. The chlorophyll-a concentration had monthly means ranging from 2.31 to 4.00 mg.m^–3, with a drop during the rains, but little depth variation. Both productivity and chlorophyll-a showed non-significant correlation with the physico-chemical features of the water. The values of the biological parameters showed the lake as mesotrophic. The values are compared with those of other African lakes.     

The photosensitive retinal pigments of fishes from relatively turbid coastal waters

Digitonin extracts have been prepared from the retinae of a dozen species of marine and euryhaline teleost fishes from turbid water habitats. Spectrophotometric analysis of the extracts shows that the photosensitive retinal pigments of these species have maximum absorption above 500 mµ. In nine species there are retinene₁ pigments with λ_max between 504 and 512 mµ. In the marine but euryhaline mullet, Mugil cephalus, there is a porphyropsin with λ_max 520 mµ. A mixture of rhodopsin and porphyropsin in an extract of a marine puffer, Sphoeroides annulatus, was disclosed by partial bleaching with colored light. In addition, one other species has a 508 mµ pigment, of which the nature of the chromophore was not determined. The habitats in which these fishes live are relatively turbid, with the water greenish or yellowish in color. The spectral transmission of such waters is probably maximal between 520 and 570 mµ. It is suggested that the fishes have become adapted to these conditions by small but significant shifts in spectral absorption of their retinal pigments. These pigments are decidedly more effective than rhodopsin in absorption of wavelengths above 500 mµ. This offers a possible interpretation of the confusing array of retinal pigments described from marine and euryhaline fishes.     

Phytoplankton composition of the New York Bight and adjacent waters

The New York Bight possesses a diverse assemblage of phytoplanktonwhere seasonal periods of high growth are dominated by several,chain-forming diatoms and a pico-nanoplankton component Thecomposition is similar to other regions of the northeasternshelf, producing late winter-early spring and fall maxima.     

Phytoplankton community structure and environment in the Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria

• 1 Phytoplankton species composition, numerical abundance, spatial distribution and total biomass measured as chlorophyll a concentration were studied in relation to environmental factors in September 1994 (dry season) and March 1995 (rainy season), respectively, in the Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria; 103 species were recorded.
• 2 Blue‐green algae (Cyanophyceae) were most diverse, followed by diatoms (Bacillariophyceae), green algae (Chlorophyceae) and dinoflagellates (Dinophyceae).
• 3 Twinspan separated the phytoplankton communities in the Nyanza Gulf and those in the open lake during both seasons. During the dry season, the Nyanza Gulf was strongly dominated by blue‐greens, while diatoms dominated in the open lake. During the rainy season, blue‐greens remained dominant in the Nyanza Gulf although the number of species found was lower than during the dry season; in the open lake, blue‐greens replaced diatoms as the dominant group and there were more species than in the dry season.
• 4 Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the phytoplankton species distribution was significantly correlated with turbidity during the dry season and with SiO₂ during the rainy season. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 71.5 mg m^‐3 in the dry season and 2.0–17.2 mg m^‐3 in the rainy season confirm earlier reports of increasing phytoplankton biomass in Lake Victoria since the 1960s.

     

Phytoplankton structure and dynamics in a turbid Antarctic lake (Potter Peninsula, King George Island)

Qualitative and quantitative changes in the freshwater phytoplankton from one of the largest lakes in Potter Peninsula were studied during the summer period of 1995/1996. The main limnological features were analysed. This research constitutes the first study dealing with the phytoplankton structure and dynamics from lakes in Potter Peninsula. Due to the mixing of the water column by the constant wind action during the ice-free period, neither physical, chemical nor biological parameters showed differences between depths. Soluble reactive phosphorus remained low (26 μg l⁻¹) while total phosphorus concentrations were up to 232 μg l⁻¹. Suspended solids and total phosphorus differed significantly between the two basins in which the lake is divided. Sixty-five taxa were identified. The Bacillariophyceae was the dominant class followed by Chrysophyceae. Achnanthes lanceolata var. haynaldii and Hydrurus foetidus (cysts) were the dominant species. Tychoplanktonic species were the best represented in terms of abundance and species richness. The principal component analysis carried out with abiotic variables showed a temporal gradient characterised by the augmentation of suspended solids, total phosphorus, conductivity, pH and NH₄-N to the end of the summer period. The Principal Component Analysis performed with biotic variables also showed a temporal trend related to a decline in phytoplankton density and an enhancement of chlorophyll-a despite a slight increase of light limitation during the study period. This inverse relation may be due to the presence of picoplankton in chlorophyll-a samples. The potential effect of grazing on the phytoplankton structure is a subject to be tested in future studies. Accepted: 7 February 1999     

Abundance and productivity of heterotrophic nanoplankton in Georgia coastal waters

The population abundances and rates of biomass production ofheterotrophic nanoplankton (HNAN) in Georgia coastal waterswere evaluated by epifluorescence microscopy. HNAN populations(mostly non-pigmented microflagellates <10 µm in diameter)ranged from 0.3 x 10³ cells ml^–1 in shelf waters 15 kmoffshore to 6.3 x 10³ cells ml^–1 in waters 0.25 km fromthe coast. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.83) betweenHNAN and free bacterioplankton population abundances, but noapparent relation (r = 0.38) between HNAN and phototrophic nanopLankton(PNAN) abundances. HNAN biomass production in estuarine andnearshore shelf waters, as estimated from increases in HNANpopulations during laboratory incubations of natural water samples,ranged from 0.10 to 0.79 mg C m^–3 h^–3, with populationgeneration times of 9.7 to 26.5 h. There was a significant linearrelation (r = 0.95) between HNAN biomass and HNAN productivity.We calculated that HNAN may graze at least 30% to 50% of dailybacterioplankton production in Georgia coastal waters.     

Phytoplankton community growth-rate response to nutrient pulses in a shallow turbid estuary, Galveston Bay, Texas

Phytoplankton growth is a physiological process often limitedby temperature, nutrients or light, while biomass accumulationis a function of growth rates, grazing and deposition. Althoughprimary productivity measurements are usually used to assessresponses to limiting factors, the rates are proportional tobiomass and inversely related to grazing pressure during experimentalincubations. Alternatively, carbon-specific growth-rate determinationsprovide insights into physiological responses without the confoundingeffects of biomass and grazing. The objective of this studywas to quantify the growth-rate responses of phytoplankton toenhanced nutrient availability (nitrate and phosphate) overa range of in situ irradiances. Growth rates were determinedbased on chlorophyll a-specific ¹⁴C-uptake rates by phytoplankton.Phytoplankton demonstrated high (24 h) growth rates when exposedto increased concentrations of limiting nutrients, independentof the surface irradiances (12–41%). Growth-rate responseswere also compared with the biomass (chlorophyll a) responsesand community composition. Observed and estimated phytoplanktonbiomass changes during the incubations differed, emphasizingthe structural role of grazers on the phytoplankton community.The phytoplankton community in Galveston Bay has the potentialto instantaneously respond to nutrient pulses, facilitatingdiatom biomass accumulations in spring and summer and small,flagellated species and cyanobacteria during periods of lownutrient inputs. Thus, Galveston Bay phytoplankton biomass andcommunity composition reflect a dynamic balance between thefrequency of nutrient pulsing and grazing intensity.     

Phytoplankton productivity and its response to higher light levels in the Canada Basin

Phytoplankton productivity in the Canada Basin was measured in the late summer season, from mid-September to mid-October 2009, using a ¹³C–¹⁵N dual tracer technique. To understand potential production changes associated with sea ice melting in the Arctic Ocean, we examined the effects of light enhancement and nitrate enrichment on the carbon productivity of phytoplankton from the chlorophyll a maximum layer. The daily carbon productivity in the Canada Basin in 2009 was very low, with a mean of 4.1 mg C m⁻² (SD = 3.6 mg C m⁻²), compared with those reported in previous studies in the region. Among several explanations, the most plausible reason for the large difference in carbon productivity between this and the previous studies was strong seasonal variation in biomass and photosynthetic rate of the phytoplankton in the study region. Based on our results from light enhancement and nitrate enrichment experiments, we found that carbon productivity of phytoplankton in the chlorophyll a maximum layer could be stimulated by increased light condition rather than nitrate addition. Thus, potentially increasing light availability from current and ongoing decreases in the sea ice cover could increase the carbon production of the phytoplankton in the chlorophyll a maximum layer and produce a well-developed maximum layer at a deeper depth in the Canada Basin.     

Development of optical criteria to discriminate various types of highly turbid lake waters

Our aim was to refine the optical classification of turbid waters in order to improve the performance of water color algorithms. Bio-optical measurements and sampling of optically active substances were performed in highly turbid lakes Taihu, Chaohu, and Dianchi, and in Three Gorges reservoir in China. Based on strong correlations between trough depths of remote sensing reflectance (R _rs(λ)) near 680 nm (denoted as TD680) and the ratios of inorganic suspended matter (ISM) to total suspended matter (TSM) concentrations, an empirical model was developed for water classification. In the 400–900 nm spectral range, different correlations between R _rs(λ), TSM and chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations indicate discrepancies among the following ISM/TSM ranges: ISM/TSM ≤ 0.5, 0.5 < ISM/TSM < 0.8, and ISM/TSM ≥ 0.8. Corresponding findings support an important conclusion that only high ISM/TSM ratios, usually above 0.5, and using the more sensitive and stable near infrared spectral range (730–820 nm), can assure good performances of the TSM remote sensing algorithms. Meanwhile, the particulate absorption a _p(λ) and scattering b _p(λ) were strongly influenced by different ranges of ISM/TSM ratios. Typically the a _p(675) peaks became more and more vague as ISM/TSM increased, and the b _p(λ) values first decreased and then increased with a marked inflexion at ISM/TSM ≈ 0.5. The TD680 threshold values were derived to discriminate three types of turbid waters, i.e., Type 1 (TD680 ≥ 0.0082 sr⁻¹), Type 2 (0.0082 sr⁻¹ > TD680 > 0 sr⁻¹), and Type 3 (TD680 ≤ 0 sr⁻¹). This study provides a promising tool for identifying various types of highly turbid waters, and is significant for the development of class-based algorithms of water color remote sensing.     

Phytoplankton spring bloom in the Tagus coastal waters: hydrological and chemical conditions

Spatial variability of phytoplankton as well as hydrological and chemical conditions in the Tagus coastal waters were studied during the spring of 1994. The highly patchy distribution of phytoplankton and the community structure were related to the specific abiotic conditions prevailing in the area. Two main water masses were distinguished: a tidally mixed one alongshore Lisbon-cape Espichel and a stratified region strongly related to the Tagus plume river. The latter seems to control, to some extent, the spatial phytoplankton variability and the timing and size of the spring bloom. The highest surficial levels of nutrients, specifically PO₄ ^3–=1.00 M, NO₃ ^–=16.0 M and Si(OH)₄=14.6 M, were clearly associated with Tagus river discharges, while the lowest levels were attained offshore in the zone of maximum chlorophyll a concentrations (30 mg m^–3) reflecting the occurrence of high nutrient consumption. Furthermore, the near depletion of PO₄ ^3– indicates P limitation for phytoplankton growth. The diatom Detonula pumila (0.1×10⁶ cells l^–1) was the dominant species of phytoplankton communities in the mixed zone, alongshore Lisbon-cape Espichel, whereas, the small diatom Thalassiosira sp. (3×10⁶ cells l^–1) was blooming offshore, associated with the stratified region.     

Phytoplankton rate processes in the oligotrophic waters of the central North Pacific Ocean

The central North Pacific is one of the more oligotrophic regionsof the world oceans. There the particulate organic nitrogen:cabonratio of surface waters is variable and less than the Redfieldratio of 16N:106C by atoms. The phytoplankton P/B ratio basedupon both C and N assimilation rate varied directly with theparticulate matter PON:POC ratio as did the productivity index[mg C (mg chl a)^–1h^–1]. At steady state the doublingtime of the phytoplankton, the turnover time of the limitingnutrient supplied via herbivore grazing, and the time for herbivoresto filter a unit volume of water would be equivalent. They appearto be of the order of 5–9 days based on present methodologyand straightforward interpretation of its results. The rate measurements involved incubation of water samples forseveral hours in bottles. In the central N. Pacific the valueswere similar using bottles of different sizes. Addition of chelatorsdid not enhance the rates implying no poisoning of the planktonby heavy metal contaminants. The observed specific activitiesof ¹⁴C and ¹⁵N of the particulate matter in the rate measurementsare inconsistent with the notion of an active, rapidly growingand recycling microplankton food web within the incubation bottlesand support the idea that phytoplankton are growing slowly.     

Phytoplankton and nutrients in the waters north-west of Spitsbergen in the autumn of 1979

Phytoplankton biomass, primary production rates and inorganicnutrients were measured in the uppermost layer of the ice-edgeregion and in open water and compared with environmental factorsduring a three-week cruise in September – October 1979.Biomass and production values were low (maximum 2.2 µgchl a l^–1, 2.5 mg C m^–3 h^–1). A post-bloomcommunity of diatoms, consisting mainly of representatives ofChaetoceros, Leptocylindrus, Nitzschia and Thalassiosira, waspredominant. Concentrations of phosphate were quite low (maximum0.55 µM I^–1). Nitrate and silicate ranged from nomeasurable quantities to 5.7 µM l^–1 and 3.8 µMl^–1, respectively. The possibility of light and nutrientlimitation on phytoplankton growth is discussed.     

The role of particulate matter in the productivity of surface waters

Except for the special cases of upwelled water and the spring blooms in temperate and boreal waters, the productivity of the oceans is largely governed by the rate of nutrient regeneration in surface waters. This rate of regeneration is a function of the number of actively metabolizing bacteria present, which in turn appears to be a function of the particle content of the water. Thus, particle content may be the basic control on the productivity of the open oceans. The possibility of increasing productivity by artificially increasing the particle content of the water should be considered for regions characterized by low particle count, such as the Sargasso Sea. Since silicate can only be resupplied by re-solution of diatom tests, a process taking place at depth, plankton blooms following regeneration kinetics will typically be dinoflagellate rather than diatom blooms.