6. The Gulf of Nicoya Estuarine Ecosystem - José A. Vargas

The bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli is the most abundant fish in Chesapeake Bay (USA) and is a vital link between plankton and piscivores within the trophic structure of this large estuarine ecosystem. Baywide distributions and abundances of bay anchovy eggs and larvae, and larval growth, were analyzed in a 5 yr program to evaluate temporal and spatial variability based on research surveys in the 1995-1999 spawning seasons. Effects of environmental variability and abundance of zooplankton that serve as prey for larval bay anchovy were analyzed. In the years of these surveys, 97.6% of eggs and 98.8% of larvae occurred in the polyhaline lower bay. Median egg and larval abundances differed more than 10-fold for surveys conducted in the 5 yr and were highest in the lower bay. Within years, median larval abundance (ind. m-2) in the lower bay was generally 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than upper-bay abundance. Salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen explained 12% of the spatial and temporal variability in egg abundances and accounted for 27% of the variability in larval abundances. The mean, baywide growth rate for larvae over the 5 yr period was 0.75 ± 0.01 mm d-1, and was best explained by zooplankton concentration and feeding incidence. Among years, mean growth rates ranged from 0.68 (in 1999) to 0.81 (in 1998) mm d-1 and were fastest in the upper bay. We identified environmental factors, especially salinity, that contributed to broadscale variability in egg and larval production.

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BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLING IN A SALT MARSH ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEM IN COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA

10.1130/abs/2018am-318133 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Heidi O'Hora ◽

◽

David P. Gillikin ◽

David Goodwin ◽

Hayley I. Bennett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Salt Marsh ◽

Biogeochemical Cycling ◽

Estuarine Ecosystem

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Dynamical study of infochemical influences on tropic interaction of diffusive plankton system

SN Applied Sciences ◽

10.1007/s42452-021-04237-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Satish Kumar Tiwari ◽

Ravikant Singh ◽

Nilesh Kumar Thakur

Keyword(s):

Dimethyl Sulfide ◽

Algal Bloom ◽

Turing Instability ◽

Model System ◽

Ode Model ◽

Estuarine Ecosystem ◽

Dynamical Study ◽

Oscillatory Dynamics ◽

The Stability ◽

Microzooplankton Grazing

AbstractWe propose a model for tropic interaction among the infochemical-producing phytoplankton and non-info chemical-producing phytoplankton and microzooplankton. Volatile information-conveying chemicals (infochemicals) released by phytoplankton play an important role in the food webs of marine ecosystems. Microzooplankton is an ecologically important grazer of phytoplankton for coexistence of a large number of phytoplankton species. Here, we discuss how information transferred by dimethyl sulfide shapes the interaction of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton deterrents may lead to propagation of IPP bloom. The interaction between IPP and microzooplankton follows the Beddington–DeAngelis-type functional response. Analytically, we discuss boundedness, stability and Turing instability of the model system. We perform numerical simulation for temporal (ODE model) as well as a spatial model system. Our numerical investigation shows that microzooplankton grazing refuse of IPP leads to oscillatory dynamics. Increasing diffusion coefficient of microzooplankton shows Turing instability. Time evolution also plays an important role in the stability of system dynamics. The results obtained in this paper are useful to understand the dominance of algal bloom in coastal and estuarine ecosystem.

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Distinct interaction effects of warming and anthropogenic input on diatoms and dinoflagellates in an urbanized estuarine ecosystem

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.15667 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yan Yin Cheung ◽

Shunyan Cheung ◽

Julian Mak ◽

Kailin Liu ◽

Xiaomin Xia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interaction Effects ◽

Anthropogenic Input ◽

Estuarine Ecosystem

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Supporting Restoration Decisions through Integration of Tree-Ring and Modeling Data: Reconstructing Flow and Salinity in the San Francisco Estuary over the Past Millennium

Water ◽

10.3390/w13152139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2139

Author(s):

Paul H. Hutton ◽

David M. Meko ◽

Sujoy B. Roy

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

Tree Ring ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Salinity Intrusion ◽

Estuarine Ecosystem ◽

Freshwater Flow ◽

The Past ◽

Decadal Scale ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Past Millennium

This work presents updated reconstructions of watershed runoff to San Francisco Estuary from tree-ring data to AD 903, coupled with models relating runoff to freshwater flow to the estuary and salinity intrusion. We characterize pre-development freshwater flow and salinity conditions in the estuary over the past millennium and compare this characterization with contemporary conditions to better understand the magnitude and seasonality of changes over this time. This work shows that the instrumented flow record spans the range of runoff patterns over the past millennium (averaged over 5, 10, 20 and 100 years), and thus serves as a reasonable basis for planning-level evaluations of historical hydrologic conditions in the estuary. Over annual timescales we show that, although median freshwater flow to the estuary has not changed significantly, it has been more variable over the past century compared to pre-development flow conditions. We further show that the contemporary period is generally associated with greater spring salinity intrusion and lesser summer–fall salinity intrusion relative to the pre-development period. Thus, salinity intrusion in summer and fall months was a common occurrence under pre-development conditions and has been moderated in the contemporary period due to the operations of upstream reservoirs, which were designed to hold winter and spring runoff for release in summer and fall. This work also confirms a dramatic decadal-scale hydrologic shift in the watershed from very wet to very dry conditions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; while not unprecedented, these shifts have been seen only a few times in the past millennium. This shift resulted in an increase in salinity intrusion in the first three decades of the 20th century, as documented through early records. Population growth and extensive watershed modification during this period exacerbated this underlying hydrologic shift. Putting this shift in the context of other anthropogenic drivers is important in understanding the historical response of the estuary and in setting salinity targets for estuarine restoration. By characterizing the long-term behavior of San Francisco Estuary, this work supports decision-making in the State of California related to flow and salinity management for restoration of the estuarine ecosystem.

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