No description available.

Zooplankton populations in the St. Johns River Estuary ranged from 3,000/m3 to 20,000/m3 during monthly collections from September, 1973 to August, 1974. Acartia tonsa Dana was the dominant organism throughout the year, except for spring blooms of Balanus sp. nauplii in the lower estuary and summer occurrences of Eubosmin tubins in the upper estuary. With these two exceptions, species composition, and community structure were similar throughout the estuary, year round. A patchy distribution of the zooplankton caused high replicate sample variation which made it difficult to detect small population variations. Salinity appeared to have the greatest effect on the distribution and abundance of zooplankton within the estuary. Population numbers were sufficiently low to suggest that zooplankton were not the major component of secondary production.

Um dos principais problemas relacionados aos estudos limnológicos realizados manualmente em laboratório consiste no grande esforço, tempo de análise e trabalho especializado necessário. Esses fatores limitam a quantidade de amostras possíveis de serem analisadas em um determinado estudo, já que recursos sejam eles reagentes, recursos financeiros ou tempo são limitados. No presente trabalho foi utilizado um sistema semi-automatizado de medidas de variáveis físicas e químicas da água. O sistema é composto por uma sonda multi-parâmetro (Horiba U-22) e um sistema de posicionamento global (GPS) acoplados a um micro-computador, que realizam medidas georeferenciadas em curtos intervalos de tempo, permitindo um rastreamento horizontal das características da água. Foi ainda desenvolvido um sistema semi-automático para coleta fracionada da comunidade planctônica por meio de bomba de sucção operada por bateria e filtro coletor com rede de plâncton de diferentes aberturas de malha. O material coletado foi fotografado por meio de sistema de aquisição digital de imagens (microscópio Zeiss equipado com câmera AxionCan). Neste trabalho foi produzido um software (Planktonscan) que a partir da análise das imagens capturadas permite produzir dados com estimativas das medidas e dimensões dos organismos, calcular biovolumes e, utilizando fatores de conversão, estimar os valores de biomassa. O software apresenta uma interface para identificação, calcula a densidade dos organismos e produz relatório gráfico com informações sobre os organismos individuais e sobre a comunidade. Os equipamentos e o software foram testados em análises limnológicas e amostragem de plâncton no reservatório do Monjolinho, São Carlos, SP, em dezembro de 2005. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os disponíveis na literatura e demonstraram a aplicabilidade do sistema. / A major problem associated with the study of planktonic communities lies on the difficulties of analyzing the collected material, a long time-consuming procedure. Biomass determination is also a step requiring great effort and is subjected to large errors. In the present work a semi-automated system for measuring physical and chemical variables in the water was developed. The system is made up by a flow-pump, a multi-parameter probe and a global positioning system coupled to a microcomputer that performs measurements at short time intervals, allowing a horizontal tracking of the water quality, in much shorter times than traditional methods. Another semi-automated device was developed for collecting separate plankton size fractions. It uses a battery operating suction-pump coupled to a filter with different mesh nets. The collected materials are then submitted to image computer acquisition (Axion Vision Zeiss System). Additionally, in this study a software was produced (Planktonscan), that taking the measures of individuals dimensions (length, width and height) calculates biovolume and using conversion factors calculate the biomass for each zooplankton organism identified in the sample. Both systems were tested, regarding the measurement of limnological variables and plankton sampling, in the Monjolinho Reservoir, SP. The performance was good, resulting in a larger number of points sampled (60) in a shorter sampling time (1 hour) than those usually required. The biomass results provided by Planktonscan software were compared to data from literature, obtained by the traditional gravimetric method for dry weight determination and also with data generated from the use of mathematical models (length dry-weight regressions) available. The results were expressed as species population densities, biomasses and size spectra, evidencing the applicability of the models here developed.

La Méditerranée Nord-Occidentale (MNO) est marquée par un processus de formation d’eau profonde en hiver qui induit une forte floraison phytoplanctonique au printemps. L'objectif de cette thèse a été de caractériser la dynamique de la communauté mesozooplanctonique à l'échelle régionale de la MNO, y compris dans la zone de convection profonde (ZCP), en évaluant ses stocks, sa composition taxonomique, sa structure en taille et ses liens trophiques avec le phytoplancton, en relation avec l'environnement hydro-biogéochimique. Trois campagnes océanographiques ont été menées en saisons contrastées: hiver, printemps et été, fournissant un jeu de données unique à cette échelle régionale. Le zooplancton est caractérisé par de faibles abondances et biomasses en hiver, surtout dans la ZCP, puis par une augmentation générale printanière, en abondance et en biomasse. Des différences spatiales s’observent, la ZCP présentant les plus forts changements de biomasse de l’hiver au printemps. Les valeurs d'été sont similaires aux valeurs hivernales et sont assez homogènes dans la zone d'étude. L'impact du broutage estimé n'est pas suffisant pour contrôler globalement la floraison printanière. Cependant, au printemps, toute la MNO, à l'exception de la ZCP, subit un contrôle top-down du zooplancton sur le phytoplancton, tandis que dans la ZCP, les valeurs de chlorophylle-a restent élevées malgré la forte demande en carbone du zooplancton, ce qui indique un contrôle bottom-up. Cette étude montre que la ZCP est probablement une zone d'intense transfert d'énergie vers les niveaux trophiques supérieurs ainsi que d'export de matière organique en MNO. / The North-Western Mediterranean Sea (NWMS) is characterized by a deep water convection process in winter, which induces a large phytoplankton bloom. The main objective of this thesis was to characterize the dynamics of the mesozooplankton community at the regional scale of NWMS including the deep convection zone (DCZ), by assessing its stocks, taxonomy and size structure, and by evaluating its phytoplankton-zooplankton trophic links in connection to the hydrological and biogeochemical environment. Three oceanographic cruises were conducted to map the NWMS in contrasting seasons: winter, spring, and summer. This represents a unique data set of zooplankton at this regional scale. The NWMS was characterized in winter by low zooplankton abundance and biomass. In spring, a general increase was found. Spatially DCZ was characterized by lowest stocks in winter and the highest in spring. In summer, biomass and abundance were similar to winter values and were quite homogenous over the study area. The estimated zooplankton grazing impact was not sufficient to globally control the spring phytoplankton bloom. However, in spring, all areas except the DCZ incurred top-down control by zooplankton on the phytoplankton stock. In the DCZ, the chlorophyll-a values remained high despite the high zooplankton biomass and carbon demand, indicating a sustained bottom-up control. This study indicates that the deep convection zone is likely an area of both enhanced energy transfer to higher trophic levels and organic matter export in NWMS.

Ziel der Arbeit war eine möglichst umfassende Analyse der Nahrungsbedingungen von D. galeata unter Berücksichtigung der damit verbundenen Strategien der Daphnien zur Optimierung des Nahrungserwerbs, um den Einfluß dieser Faktoren bezüglich des Auftretens einer Sommerdepression der Daphnien zu beurteilen. Aufbauend auf den bereits vorhandenen Kenntnissen aus der Literatur sollte dazu im Rahmen der Arbeit festgestellt werden, ob morphologische Veränderungen des Filtrationsapparates der Daphnien (Ausbildung großer, hydrodynamisch dichter Filter), die als Reaktion auf die geringen Nahrungsmengen im Klarwasserstadium auftreten, bei einer drastischen Erhöhung der Nahrungskonzentration zu einer "Überlastung" der Filterbeine der Daphnien, zu hohen Energieausgaben und schließlich zu erhöhter Mortalität (Sommerdepression) führen können. Hauptziel war dabei die Klärung der Frage, ob bottom-up gesteuerte schnelle Veränderungen im Nahrungsangebot, wie sie für geringe bottom-up Limitation (Hypertrophie) typisch sind, eine erhöhte Mortalität bei Daphnien hervorrufen können. Die Beantwortung dieser Fragestellung ist wichtig, um die Effizienz der top-down Steuerung (Biomanipulation) als ökotechnologische Maßnahme zur Gewässersanierung zu erhöhen. Dazu wurden in der biomanipulierten Talsperre Bautzen in drei Untersuchungsjahren (1997 - 1999) wichtige bottom-up wirkende Steuerfaktoren der Daphnienentwicklung sowie morphologische Charakteristika der Filterkämme und physiologische Leistungskriterien von D. galeata vor und während der Zeit des potentiellen Auftretens einer Sommerdepression untersucht. Aus den Ergebnissen ließ sich ableiten, daß das Zusammenspiel der vielfältigen Anpassungsmöglichkeiten der Daphnien in einem bestimmten Variationsbereich der Steuerfaktoren eine erfolgreiche Strategie zur Optimierung der Nahrungsaufnahme darstellen kann. Werden jedoch bestimmte Schwellenwerte über- oder unterschritten, ist eine Kompensation durch die Anpassungsstrategien nicht oder nur bedingt möglich. Dabei kann durch verschiedene Ursachen der gleiche Effekt (Mortalität adulter Daphnien) auftreten, was die Interpretation erschwert. Dieser Effekt wird besonders bei adulten Daphnien durch die gegenüber juvenilen Daphnien höheren Filterwiderstände und die damit verringerte effektive Energieaufnahme begünstigt. Erst wenn ungünstige Nahrungsbedingungen und die am Ende der Klarwasserphase beobachteten ungünstigen Konstellationen der Filterkämme zusammentreffen (timing), tritt die erhöhte Mortalität adulter Daphnien auf. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen unterstreichen damit die Bedeutung von Ganzsee-Experimenten und die möglichst simultane Erfassung verschiedener Zustandsgrößen, um eine umfassende Kausalanalyse der Sommerdepression der Daphnien zu ermöglichen, zu der die vorliegende Arbeit einen Beitrag liefert. Für den Erfolg der Biomanipulation konnte daher geschlußfolgert werden, daß eine nachhaltige Wirkung nur dann erreicht werden kann, wenn zusätzlich zur top-down Steuerung des Nahrungsnetzes gleichzeitig eine erfolgreiche Kontrolle der bottom-up Prozesse im Gewässer realisiert wird, indem starke Schwankungen von bottom-up Faktoren vermieden werden und damit das System insgesamt stabilisiert wird. / The occurrence of midsummer declines of daphnids is often related to poor food conditions or fish predation. In this three-year-study on the midsummer decline of Daphnia galeata field investigations in the highly eutrophic biomanipulated Bautzen reservoir were combined with flow-through experiments in the laboratory. The following hypothesis was tested: The inability of adult Daphnia to reduce the filtering area of their feeding appendages in response to fast increasing food levels after a clear-water phase enhances adult mortality. During the clear-water phase daphnids develop large and dense filtercombs to optimise their filter feeding. When food concentrations increase, however, this adaptation to low-food situation may be inappropriate due to too high energy consumtion. As adult daphnids cannot reduce the size of their feeding appendages, the filtration process may be hindered when seston concentrations rise, resulting in reduced fitness and increasing adult mortality. Indeed, adult survival in the laboratory (predation excluded) drastically decreased exactly at that time when the Daphnia galeata population in Bautzen reservoir declined. However, enhanced mortality was found irrespective of different food conditions offered during the experiments. It is concluded that increased mortality of adult daphnids is not an direct effect of their inability to adapt the morphology of their filtercombs to high seston concentrations. Furthermore daphnids are able to compensate unfavorable food conditions within a certain range by different kinds of adaptation mechanisms. Therefore the timing of the changes of food conditions and the adaptations of daphnids is most important to the efficiency of energy gain of the daphnids. Concerning the success of biomanipulation it is concluded that in addition to the regulation of top-down mechanisms there is an urgent need for control of bottom-up processes in order to stabilize the ecosystem.

The population dynamics and demography of Daphnia galeata was analysed in a five year study in the biomanipulated Bautzen Reservoir. Samples were taken two times a week during the period May-July in the pelagic zone of this highly eutrophic water. Major bottom-up and top-down factors were determined during the study period and analysed with regard to their influence on Daphnia dynamics and life history. Field data on fecundity and population structure of D. galeata were combined with results from life table and growth experiments performed under approximately in situ conditions to gain insight into the mechanisms leading to a midsummer decline of this cladoceran species which dominates the zooplankton community in Bautzen Reservoir. Two main patterns of Daphnia dynamics emerged: In years without a midsummer decline the population increased slowly in spring, starting from low densities. High water transparency was observed already during the build-up of the population of D. galeata. Despite considerable fluctuations, Daphnia abundance remained on a high level throughout summer. In years with a midsummer decline the population started from relatively high densities in early May and more than doubled during one week. Peak densities were reached before the clear-water stage emerged. At the end of this period the population declined to low values which lasted for the rest of the summer. Fecundity of the Population of D. galeata declined, whereas the mean egg volume increased at the beginning of the clear-water stage as a result of declining food levels. The size at maturity (SAM) remained high during this period. Additionally, juvenile growth was reduced and the age at maturity was retarded. Survival probability was low for those daphnids born shortly before or during the clear-water stage compared to those born later. It can be concluded from these results that recruitment to adult stages is strongly reduced during the clear-water stage. The end of this period is marked by an alternation in generations. Only at that time can SAM be reduced because the new generation of adults matures at a smaller size, carrying small eggs. A high impact of non-predatory adult mortality can be expected when the population is dominated by a strong peak-cohort during the clear-water stage according to recruitment patterns during the build-up of the population. The most drastic decline both of Daphnia abundance and SAM was observed in those years when the biomass of juvenile fish exceeded 20 kg ha-1 at the end of the clear-water stage. Due to gape-size limitation juvenile fish mainly feed on juvenile daphnids during this period and thus, they reinforce bottom-up effects on the Daphnia population. When fish change their size selection towards adult daphnids at the time when the new generation takes over, this seems to represent the worst case for the Daphnia population. Consequently, the timing between bottom-up effects and the feeding pressure of juvenile fish determines the extent of the decline. - (This manuscript is also available - in the form of a book - from Shaker Verlag GmbH, Postfach 101818, 52018 Aachen, Germany world-wide web address: http://www.shaker.de, electronic-mail address: info@shaker.de. It has been posted on the web sites of Dresden University of Technology with the permission of the publisher)

Larval fish and zooplankton assemblages were studied in nine south and west coast estuaries in the cool-temperate and the cool/warm-temperate boundary region between June 2003 and March 2004. This study served to provide new information on previously unstudied estuaries and expand on existing knowledge of larval fish and zooplankton assemblages associated with various estuary types. The south and west coast estuaries sampled in this study showed lower salinities (12.2 - 13.7), lower water temperatures (14.5 - 16.9 °C) and higher turbidities (k = 0.02 - 0.04) in winter and spring while higher salinities (21.7 - 21.8), higher water temperatures (21.7 - 23.1°C) and lower turbidities (k <0.02) were observed in summer and autumn. Mean winter and summer water temperatures in estuaries were lower than those observed in warm-temperate and subtropical systems by other researchers. A total of 49274 larval fishes were caught, comprising 9 orders, 20 families, 29 genera and 47 taxa. The clupeid Gilchristella aestuaria (78.8 %) dominated the larval fish assemblages and occurred in all estuaries. The majority (70 %) of identified species are endemic to southern Africa and 96.4 % of larval fishes caught were estuary-resident species. The zooplankton study yielded a total of 44 taxa, comprising 7 phyla, >20 orders and >35 families. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus hessei dominated (59 %) the zooplankton and occurred in similar densities to those observed in other South African estuaries. Larval fish and zooplankton varied across seasons, peaking simultaneously in summer although zooplankton showed additional density peaks during the closed phase of some estuaries. Both plankton components were more abundant in the oligohaline and mesohaline zones within the estuaries. Freshwater input, estuary type and the biogeography of the area influenced the composition and structure of larval fish and zooplankton assemblages in these estuaries. The findings suggest that the estuaries are functioning as successful breeding areas for the larvae of endemic estuary-resident fish species and that these estuaries have to be managed to ensure an adequate freshwater supply to maintain the biological integrity of the ecosystem, specially the maintenance of the highly productive River-Estuary Interface (REI) regions.

The larval fish and zooplankton assemblages were studied in the permanently open Sundays Estuary on the south-east coast of South Africa, using standard boat-based plankton towing methods. A total of 8174 larval and early juvenile fishes were caught, representing 12 families and 23 taxa. The Clupeidae, Gobiidae and Blenniidae were the dominant fish families. Common species included Gilchristella aestuaria, Caffrogobius gilchristi, Omobranchus woodi, Liza dumerilii, Glossogobius callidus and Myxus capensis. Estuarine resident species (Category I) predominantly in the preflexion developmental stage, dominated the system. A total of 19 zooplankton taxa were recorded. Copepoda dominated the zooplankton community. Dominant species included Pseudodiaptomus hessei, Acartia longipatella, Halicyclops sp., Mesopodopsis wooldridgei, and the larvae of Paratylodiplax edwardsii and Hymenosoma orbiculare. Mean larval fish density showed similar trends seasonally, spatially and across salinity zones, with mean zooplankton density in the Sundays Estuary. Gut content analysis of five larval fish species: Gilchristella aestuaria, Pomadasys commersonnii, Monodactylus falciformis, Myxus capensis and Rhabdosargus holubi, revealed species specific diet and prey selection. Although larval fish diet contained a variety of prey items, guts were dominated by P. hessei, chironomid larvae, Corophium triaenonyx, copepod eggs and insect larvae. Physico-chemical drivers and the interactions between these two plankton communities provide information that enables a more holistic view of the dynamics occurring in the Sundays Estuary planktonic ecosystem.

The zooplankton community of the main channel of the Mngazana estuary was investigated on six occasions over one year. Spatial and temporal variability in zooplankton abundance and distribution were sampled using two slightly modified WP2 plankton nets of 200 μm mesh and 57 cm mouth diameter. Nets were fitted with calibrated Kahlsico 005 WA 130 flow meters. A set of environmental variables were also measured at each site. The water column of the main channel of Mngazana estuary was stratified in summer but well mixed in winter. Temperature progressively increased from the lower stations to the upper reaches of the estuary. Maximum vertical temperature differences occurred in the middle estuarine reaches. Salinity progressively decreased from the lower reaches to the upper reaches, but was generally above 26 from Station 3 to Station 8. Only during November 2005, were salinity readings low due to heavy rains. Summer salinity values were always lower than the winter salinity values as a result of summer rainfall. A total of 76 zooplankton taxa were identified. The estuarine copepods Acartia natalensis and Pseudodiaptomus hessei dominated the assemblage, with maximum abundances in the middle to upper reaches. Acartia natalensis reached high densities in winter (> 50 000 m-3) although lowest abundances were recorded when maximum rainfall was received (November 2005). Wooldridge (1977) and Deyzel (2004) recorded maximum densities during summer. Pseudodiaptomus hessei reached high densities (> 17 000 m-3) during the highest rainfall month. Previous studies indicated that this pioneer species is able to recover quickly after a flood and subsequently increase rapidly in numbers. The mysid, Mesopodopsis africana reached high densities (> 5 000 m-3) in the middle estuarine reaches during summer. Ichtyofauna, brachyura and anomura were important contributors to the merozooplankton component of the community. The maximum number of species was recorded during winter in the lower estuarine reaches, when vertical differences in salinities were minimal.

Ziel der Arbeit war eine möglichst umfassende Analyse der Nahrungsbedingungen von D. galeata unter Berücksichtigung der damit verbundenen Strategien der Daphnien zur Optimierung des Nahrungserwerbs, um den Einfluß dieser Faktoren bezüglich des Auftretens einer Sommerdepression der Daphnien zu beurteilen. Aufbauend auf den bereits vorhandenen Kenntnissen aus der Literatur sollte dazu im Rahmen der Arbeit festgestellt werden, ob morphologische Veränderungen des Filtrationsapparates der Daphnien (Ausbildung großer, hydrodynamisch dichter Filter), die als Reaktion auf die geringen Nahrungsmengen im Klarwasserstadium auftreten, bei einer drastischen Erhöhung der Nahrungskonzentration zu einer &amp;quot;Überlastung&amp;quot; der Filterbeine der Daphnien, zu hohen Energieausgaben und schließlich zu erhöhter Mortalität (Sommerdepression) führen können. Hauptziel war dabei die Klärung der Frage, ob bottom-up gesteuerte schnelle Veränderungen im Nahrungsangebot, wie sie für geringe bottom-up Limitation (Hypertrophie) typisch sind, eine erhöhte Mortalität bei Daphnien hervorrufen können. Die Beantwortung dieser Fragestellung ist wichtig, um die Effizienz der top-down Steuerung (Biomanipulation) als ökotechnologische Maßnahme zur Gewässersanierung zu erhöhen. Dazu wurden in der biomanipulierten Talsperre Bautzen in drei Untersuchungsjahren (1997 - 1999) wichtige bottom-up wirkende Steuerfaktoren der Daphnienentwicklung sowie morphologische Charakteristika der Filterkämme und physiologische Leistungskriterien von D. galeata vor und während der Zeit des potentiellen Auftretens einer Sommerdepression untersucht. Aus den Ergebnissen ließ sich ableiten, daß das Zusammenspiel der vielfältigen Anpassungsmöglichkeiten der Daphnien in einem bestimmten Variationsbereich der Steuerfaktoren eine erfolgreiche Strategie zur Optimierung der Nahrungsaufnahme darstellen kann. Werden jedoch bestimmte Schwellenwerte über- oder unterschritten, ist eine Kompensation durch die Anpassungsstrategien nicht oder nur bedingt möglich. Dabei kann durch verschiedene Ursachen der gleiche Effekt (Mortalität adulter Daphnien) auftreten, was die Interpretation erschwert. Dieser Effekt wird besonders bei adulten Daphnien durch die gegenüber juvenilen Daphnien höheren Filterwiderstände und die damit verringerte effektive Energieaufnahme begünstigt. Erst wenn ungünstige Nahrungsbedingungen und die am Ende der Klarwasserphase beobachteten ungünstigen Konstellationen der Filterkämme zusammentreffen (timing), tritt die erhöhte Mortalität adulter Daphnien auf. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen unterstreichen damit die Bedeutung von Ganzsee-Experimenten und die möglichst simultane Erfassung verschiedener Zustandsgrößen, um eine umfassende Kausalanalyse der Sommerdepression der Daphnien zu ermöglichen, zu der die vorliegende Arbeit einen Beitrag liefert. Für den Erfolg der Biomanipulation konnte daher geschlußfolgert werden, daß eine nachhaltige Wirkung nur dann erreicht werden kann, wenn zusätzlich zur top-down Steuerung des Nahrungsnetzes gleichzeitig eine erfolgreiche Kontrolle der bottom-up Prozesse im Gewässer realisiert wird, indem starke Schwankungen von bottom-up Faktoren vermieden werden und damit das System insgesamt stabilisiert wird. / The occurrence of midsummer declines of daphnids is often related to poor food conditions or fish predation. In this three-year-study on the midsummer decline of Daphnia galeata field investigations in the highly eutrophic biomanipulated Bautzen reservoir were combined with flow-through experiments in the laboratory. The following hypothesis was tested: The inability of adult Daphnia to reduce the filtering area of their feeding appendages in response to fast increasing food levels after a clear-water phase enhances adult mortality. During the clear-water phase daphnids develop large and dense filtercombs to optimise their filter feeding. When food concentrations increase, however, this adaptation to low-food situation may be inappropriate due to too high energy consumtion. As adult daphnids cannot reduce the size of their feeding appendages, the filtration process may be hindered when seston concentrations rise, resulting in reduced fitness and increasing adult mortality. Indeed, adult survival in the laboratory (predation excluded) drastically decreased exactly at that time when the Daphnia galeata population in Bautzen reservoir declined. However, enhanced mortality was found irrespective of different food conditions offered during the experiments. It is concluded that increased mortality of adult daphnids is not an direct effect of their inability to adapt the morphology of their filtercombs to high seston concentrations. Furthermore daphnids are able to compensate unfavorable food conditions within a certain range by different kinds of adaptation mechanisms. Therefore the timing of the changes of food conditions and the adaptations of daphnids is most important to the efficiency of energy gain of the daphnids. Concerning the success of biomanipulation it is concluded that in addition to the regulation of top-down mechanisms there is an urgent need for control of bottom-up processes in order to stabilize the ecosystem.