scholarly journals Environmental conditions drive zooplankton community structure in the deep-water region of the southern Gulf of Mexico: a molecular approach

Author(s):  
Francesco Cicala ◽  
María Arteaga ◽  
Sharon Herzka ◽  
Miguel Martinez ◽  
Clara Hereu ◽  
...  

Zooplankton play a pivotal role in sustaining the majority of marine ecosystems. The distribution patterns and diversity of zooplankton provide key information for understanding the functioning of these ecosystems. Nevertheless, due to the numerous cryptic and sibling species and the lack of diagnostic characteristics for immature developmental stages, the identification of the global-to-local patterns of zooplankton biodiversity and biogeography remains a challenge in different research fields. Here, the spatial and temporal changes in the zooplankton community from the open waters of the southern section of the Gulf of Mexico were assessed using a multilocus sequence analysis and metabarcoding approach based on the genetic information of 18S and cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) genes. Additionally, a multi-scale analysis was implemented to evaluate which environmental predictors may explain the variability in the structure of the zooplankton community. Our finding suggests that the synergistic effects of oxygen, temperature, and longitude (intended as a proxy for still unexplored forces) may explain both spatial and temporal changes in the zooplankton community. Furthermore, the zooplankton distribution likely reflects the coexistence of three heterogeneous ecoregions and a bio-physical partitioning of the studied area. Finally, some taxa were either exclusive or predominant with either 18S or COI data. This may suggest that comprehensive assessments of the zooplankton community may be more accurately met by the use of multi-locus approaches.

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAST Mello ◽  
PM Maia-Barbosa

The Ibirité reservoir is an urban and eutrophic environment, with regular occurrences of cyanobacteria blooms. The reservoir is warm monomict and remains stratified most of the year, circulating in the dry season (winter). During the hydrological cycle of October/07 to October/08 there were four scenarios with different environmental conditions, which influenced the structure of the zooplankton community, as confirmed in a previous study. Changes in the zooplankton community structure between the scenarios were studied, aiming at analyzing the stability and persistence of this community. The Spearman’s coefficient of correlation was used to measure the stability; the persistence was evaluated through a cluster analysis and changes in community composition were estimated by the "temporal" β diversity index. Considering the distribution patterns of abundance, the community was stable only in the transition between scenarios 1 and 2 (n = 30, r = 0.71, p = 0.00001), when there were no cyanobacteria blooms. The persistence of zooplankton between the scenarios was low, showing a distinct species composition for each scenario. The highest variations in species composition, observed by the values of temporal β diversity index, were the transitions between scenarios 3-0 (1.45) and 0-1 (1.05), and the lowest variations occurred in the transition between scenarios 1-2 (0.57). The results suggest that the cyanobacteria blooms at Ibirité reservoir are be acting as "selective filters", and are, thus, disturbances with sufficient ability to change the structure of the zooplankton community. Keywords Urban Reservoir, zooplankton, bloom of cyanobacteria, stability, persistence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-661
Author(s):  
Leonardo Cruz-Rosado ◽  
Wilfrido M. Contreras-Sánchez ◽  
Ulises Hernández-Vidal ◽  
Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez ◽  
María de Jesús Contreras-García ◽  
...  

The zooplankton taxonomic group composition was analyzed in a known spawning area for snooks of the family Centropomidae during March 2011-February 2012 near the González River's mouth, a tributary of the Grijalva-Usumacinta River system, discharging into the southern Gulf of Mexico. Zooplankton was collected near the surface using three distinct zooplankton nets (20, 64, and 120 μm). Sixteen zooplankton taxonomic groups were collected between the three nets. Copepoda (76.9%), Trematoda (6.7%), Bivalvia (4.6%), and Chaetognatha (Sagittoidea 4.3%) numerically dominated zooplankton community structure. The 120 and 64 μm nets collected the highest diversity of zooplankton (15 taxa). Zooplankton was more abundant during June-October (summer storm season). They associated with lower salinities (due to the increase in the discharge volume of the Grijalva-Usumacinta River system) and higher regional primary productivity than observed during the rest of the year (March-May, dry season, and November-February, winter storm season). The highest peak of zooplankton abundance was found in November during the beginning of winter storms. Nine taxonomic groups were observed frequently and abundantly during the summer storm season, while only five taxonomic groups were abundant during the dry season.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Kuczyńska-Kippen ◽  
Piotr Klimaszyk ◽  
Ryszard Piotrowicz

Abstract The paper presents the results of an investigation of physical-chemical features of water as well as rotifer and crustacean abundance and diversity measures, relating to the taxonomic richness and species diversity index, in three lobelia lakes differing in trophic status and morphometric features. The main purpose of this study was to establish the diversity of zooplankton communities in the open water area of lobelia lakes, including extracting species common for each lake and also to find environmental predictors which are responsible for the development of zooplankton communities. Despite the fact that the three studied lakes are of the same origin, located in the same vicinity and have generally similar environmental factors, zooplankton community structure revealed a great variation in reference to species diversity (only ca. 20% of the species were common for all lakes) and particularly in inhabiting species. Obrowo Lake had the most diverse assemblages of both rotifers and crustaceans compared to Modre and Pomysko lakes. In the taxonomic structure species that are rare for the Polish fauna, such as e.g. Holopedium gibberum and Heterocope appendiculata, occurred. Even though the examined lobelia lakes are ecosystems that undergo varying human-induced impacts, they still remain taxonomically very variable aquatic ecosystems, containing rare species of very high ecological status. The observed symptoms of deterioration of water quality, reflected in the zooplankton biocoenotic features, showed that the best conditions were attributed to Obrowo Lake in comparison with the two remaining lakes – Modre and Pomysko. Total nitrogen and chlorophyll a concentration were decisive for the distribution of zooplankton species in Pomysko and Obrowo lakes, while in case of Modre lake water reactivity and conductivity were of higher impact.


Author(s):  
Soowon Chang ◽  
Takahiro Yoshida ◽  
Robert Brent Binder ◽  
Yoshiki Yamagata ◽  
Daniel Castro-Lacouture

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