scholarly journals Food-Web Structure and Functioning of Coastal Marine Ecosystems: Alvarado Lagoon and Adjacent Continental Shelf, Northern Gulf of Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor H. Cruz-Escalona ◽  
María V. Morales-Zárate ◽  
Jonathan Franco- López ◽  
Leonardo A. Abitia-Cárdenas ◽  
Armando Hernández-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Introduction:The aim of the present study was to develop a trophic model characterizing simultaneously the structure and function of the two coastal marine ecosystems: Alvarado Lagoon, Mexico and adjacent continental shelf, important area for penaeid shrimps and demersal fish species.Method:The model was based on the assumption of biomass balance and describes the trophic relationships, flows of energy, and transfer efficiency of the food web, and includes 66 functional groups.Results:Results shows that 33% of the aggregate biological community biomass comes mainly second and third trophic levels. Size of aggregate flows as well as the transfer effectiveness among groups, results like those saw in other similar works. Connectance index (CI) was 0.12, meaning that there is only 12% only of the total theoretical connections exist. Results also shows that primary producers and detritus (lagoon and shelf) contribute with 60.1% of the total ascendency. Our work can be the basis for future research, which allow us to contrast alternate hypotheses about the functioning of the system.

scholarly journals Predation patterns and prey quality of medusae in a semi-enclosed marine lake: implications for food web energy transfer in coastal marine ecosystems

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1305-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella D'Ambra ◽  
William M. Graham ◽  
Ruth H. Carmichael ◽  
Alenka Malej ◽  
Vladimir Onofri
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Prey Quality ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Coastal Marine Ecosystems

scholarly journals Recovery of lakes and coastal marine ecosystems from eutrophication: A global meta-analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. McCrackin ◽  
Holly P. Jones ◽  
Peter C. Jones ◽  
David Moreno-Mateos
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Coastal Marine Ecosystems

scholarly journals Biogeochemical and biological impacts of diazotroph blooms in a Low Nutrient Low Chlorophyll ecosystem: synthesis from the VAHINE mesocosm experiment (New Caledonia)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Bonnet ◽  
Melika Baklouti ◽  
Audrey Gimenez ◽  
Hugo Berthelot ◽  
Ilana Berman-Frank
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
N2 Fixation ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
External Source ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
West Pacific ◽  
Planktonic Food ◽  
South West

Abstract. In marine ecosystems, N2 fixation provides the predominant external source of nitrogen (N) (140 ± 50 Tg N yr−1), contributing more than atmospheric and riverine inputs to the N supply. Yet the fate and magnitude of the newly-fixed N, or diazotroph-derived N (hereafter named DDN) in marine ecosystems is poorly understood. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the DDN is preferentially directly exported out of the photic zone, recycled by the microbial loop, and/or transferred into larger organisms, subsequently enhancing indirect particle export. These questions were investigated in the framework of the VAHINE (VAriability of vertical and tropHIc transfer of diazotroph derived N in the south wEst Pacific) project. Triplicate large volume (~50 m3) mesocosms were deployed in the tropical South West Pacific coastal ocean (New Caledonia) to maintain a stable water-mass without disturbing ambient light and temperature conditions. The mesocosms were intentionally fertilized with ~0.8 μM dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) at the start of the experiment to stimulate diazotrophy. A total of 47 stocks, fluxes, enzymatic activities and diversity parameters were measured daily inside and outside the mesocosms by the 40 scientists involved in the project. The experiment lasted for 23 days and was characterized by two distinct and successive diazotroph blooms: a dominance of diatom-diazotroph associations (DDAs) during the first half of the experiment (days 2–14) followed by a bloom of UCYN-C during the second half of the experiment (days 15–23). These conditions provided a unique opportunity to compare the DDN transfer and export efficiency associated with different diazotrophs. Here we summarize the major experimental and modelling results obtained during the project and described in the VAHINE Special issue, in particular those regarding the evolution of the main standing stocks, fluxes and biological characteristics over the 23-days experiment, the contribution of N2 fixation to export fluxes, the DDN released to dissolved pool and its transfer to the planktonic food web (bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton). We then apply our Eco3M modelling platform further to infer the fate of DDN in the ecosystem and role of N2 fixation on productivity, food web structure and carbon export. Recommendations for future work are finally provided in the conclusion section.

scholarly journals Mesoscale variations in the assemblage structure and trophodynamics of mesozooplankton communities of the Adriatic basin (Mediterranean Sea)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Fanelli ◽  
Samuele Menicucci ◽  
Sara Malavolti ◽  
Andrea De Felice ◽  
Iole Leonori
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Adriatic Basin

Abstract. Zooplankton are critical to the functioning of ocean food webs because of their utter abundance and vital ecosystem roles. Zooplankton communities are highly diverse and thus perform a variety of ecosystem functions, thus changes in their community or food web structure may provide evidence of ecosystem alteration. Assemblage structure and trophodynamics of mesozooplantkon communities were examined across the Adriatic basin, the northernmost and most productive basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Samples were collected in June–July 2019 along coast-offshore transects covering the whole western Adriatic side, consistently environmental variables were also recorded. Results showed a clear separation between samples from the northern-central Adriatic and the southern ones, with a further segregation, although less clear, of inshore vs. off-shore stations, the latter mostly dominated in the central and southern stations by gelatinous plankton. Such patterns were mainly driven by chlorophyll-a concentration (as a proxy of primary production) for northern-central stations, i.e. closer to the Po river input, and by temperature and salinity, for southern ones, with the DistLM model explaining 46 % of total variance. The analysis of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon allowed to identify a complex food web characterized by 3 trophic levels from herbivores to carnivores, passing through the mixed feeding behavior of omnivores, shifting from phytoplankton/detritus ingestion to microzooplankton. Trophic structure also spatially varied according to sub-area, with the northern-central sub-areas differing from each other and from the southern stations. Our results highlighted the importance of environmental variables as drivers of zooplanktonic communities and the complex structure of their food webs. Disentangling and considering such complexity is crucial to generate realistic predictions on the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, especially in high productive and, at the same time, overexploited area such as the Adriatic Sea.

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