Seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of copepod in the southwestern Baltic Sea in 2010 and 2011

Background. Copepods are the major secondary producers in the World Ocean. They represent an important link between phytoplankton, microzooplankton and higher trophic levels such as fish. They are an important source of food for many fish species, but also a significant producer of detritus. In terms of their role in the marine food web, it is important to know how the environmental variability affects the population of Copepoda. Methods. The study of the zooplankton community in the south-western Baltic Sea conducted during a 24-month survey (January 2010 to November 2011) resulted in 24 invertebrate species identified (10copepods, 7cladocerans, 4rotifers, 1ctenophore, Fritillaria borealis and Hyperia galba). Data were collected at two stations located on the open-sea deep-water station – the Gdańsk Deep (54o50’φN, 19o19’λE) and in the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk (54o32’ φN, 18o48.2 ’λE). Vertical hauls were carried out using two nets: a Copenhagen net with an inlet diameter of 50 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2010) and WP-2 net from KC Denmark with an inlet diameter of 57 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2011). Results. The paper describes seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of Copepoda, taking into account the main Baltic calanoid copepod taxa (Acartia spp., Temora longicornis and Pseudocalanus sp.). They usually represented the main component of zooplankton. The average number of Copepoda at station P1 during the study period of 2010 was 3913 ind.m-3 (SD 2572) and their number ranged from 1184 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 6293 ind.m-3 (in spring). One year later, the average count of copepods was higher, i.e. 11 723 ind. m-3 (SD 6980) and ranged from 2351 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 18 307 ind.m-3 (in summer). Their average count at station P2 in 2010 was 29 141 ind. m-3 ranging from 3330 ind.m-3 (in March) to 67 789 ind. m-3 (in May). The average count of copepods in 2011 was much lower – 17 883 ind./m3 and ranged from 1360 ind./m3 (in April) to 39 559 ind./m3 (in May). Discussion. The environment of pelagic animals changes with the distance from the shore and with the sea depth. Although the qualitative structure of zooplankton is almost identical with that of the coastal waters, the quantitative structure changes quite significantly. The maximum values of zooplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the summer season, both in the Gdańsk Deep and the inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk. Copepoda dominated in the composition of zooplankton for almost the entire duration of the research.. Quantitative taxonomic composition of Copepoda at station P1 (the Gdańsk Deep) was different compared to station P2 (the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk) due to a high percentage of a crustacean preferring waters with lower temperature and higher salinity – Pseudocalanus sp.

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Seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of copepod in the south-eastern Baltic Sea in 2010 and 2011

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26689 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lidia Dzierzbicka-Glowacka ◽

Anna Lemieszek ◽

Evelina Griniene ◽

Marcin Kalarus

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Zooplankton Abundance ◽

The South ◽

Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽

South Eastern ◽

Gdansk Deep ◽

Gulf Of Gdansk ◽

Eastern Baltic

Background. Copepods are the major secondary producers in the World Ocean. They represent an important link between phytoplankton, microzooplankton and higher trophic levels such as fish. They are an important source of food for many fish species, but also a significant producer of detritus. In terms of their role in the marine food web, it is important to know how the environmental variability affects the population of Copepoda. Methods. The study of the zooplankton community in the south-eastern Baltic Sea conducted during a 24-month survey (January 2010 to November 2011) resulted in 24 invertebrate species identified (10copepods, 7cladocerans, 4rotifers, 1ctenophore, Fritillaria borealis and Hyperia galba). Data were collected at two stations located on the open-sea deep-water station – the Gdańsk Deep (54o50’φN, 19o19’λE) and in the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk (54o32’ φN, 18o48.2 ’λE). Vertical hauls were carried out using two nets: a Copenhagen net with an inlet diameter of 50 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2010) and WP-2 net from KC Denmark with an inlet diameter of 57 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2011). Results. The paper describes seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of Copepoda, taking into account the main Baltic calanoid copepod taxa (Acartia spp., Temora longicornis and Pseudocalanus sp.). They usually represented the main component of zooplankton. The average number of Copepoda at station P1 during the study period of 2010 was 3913 ind.m-3 (SD 2572) and their number ranged from 1184 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 6293 ind.m-3 (in spring). One year later, the average count of copepods was higher, i.e. 11 723 ind. m-3 (SD 6980) and ranged from 2351 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 18 307 ind.m-3 (in summer). Their average count at station P2 in 2010 was 29 141 ind. m-3 ranging from 3330 ind.m-3 (in March) to 67 789 ind. m-3 (in May). The average count of copepods in 2011 was much lower – 17 883 ind./m3 and ranged from 1360 ind./m3 (in April) to 39 559 ind./m3 (in May). Discussion. The environment of pelagic animals changes with the distance from the shore and with the sea depth. Although the qualitative structure of zooplankton is almost identical with that of the coastal waters, the quantitative structure changes quite significantly. The maximum values of zooplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the summer season, both in the Gdańsk Deep and the inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk. Copepoda dominated in the composition of zooplankton for almost the entire duration of the research.. Quantitative taxonomic composition of Copepoda at station P1 (the Gdańsk Deep) was different compared to station P2 (the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk) due to a high percentage of a crustacean preferring waters with lower temperature and higher salinity – Pseudocalanus sp.

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Seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of copepod in the south-eastern Baltic Sea in 2010 and 2011

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26689v2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lidia Dzierzbicka-Glowacka ◽

Anna Lemieszek ◽

Evelina Griniene ◽

Marcin Kalarus

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Zooplankton Abundance ◽

The South ◽

Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽

South Eastern ◽

Gdansk Deep ◽

Gulf Of Gdansk ◽

Eastern Baltic

Background. Copepods are the major secondary producers in the World Ocean. They represent an important link between phytoplankton, microzooplankton and higher trophic levels such as fish. They are an important source of food for many fish species, but also a significant producer of detritus. In terms of their role in the marine food web, it is important to know how the environmental variability affects the population of Copepoda. Methods. The study of the zooplankton community in the south-eastern Baltic Sea conducted during a 24-month survey (January 2010 to November 2011) resulted in 24 invertebrate species identified (10copepods, 7cladocerans, 4rotifers, 1ctenophore, Fritillaria borealis and Hyperia galba). Data were collected at two stations located on the open-sea deep-water station – the Gdańsk Deep (54o50’φN, 19o19’λE) and in the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk (54o32’ φN, 18o48.2 ’λE). Vertical hauls were carried out using two nets: a Copenhagen net with an inlet diameter of 50 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2010) and WP-2 net from KC Denmark with an inlet diameter of 57 cm and a mesh diameter of 100 µm (in 2011). Results. The paper describes seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of Copepoda, taking into account the main Baltic calanoid copepod taxa (Acartia spp., Temora longicornis and Pseudocalanus sp.). They usually represented the main component of zooplankton. The average number of Copepoda at station P1 during the study period of 2010 was 3913 ind.m-3 (SD 2572) and their number ranged from 1184 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 6293 ind.m-3 (in spring). One year later, the average count of copepods was higher, i.e. 11 723 ind. m-3 (SD 6980) and ranged from 2351 ind. m-3 (in winter) to 18 307 ind.m-3 (in summer). Their average count at station P2 in 2010 was 29 141 ind. m-3 ranging from 3330 ind.m-3 (in March) to 67 789 ind. m-3 (in May). The average count of copepods in 2011 was much lower – 17 883 ind./m3 and ranged from 1360 ind./m3 (in April) to 39 559 ind./m3 (in May). Discussion. The environment of pelagic animals changes with the distance from the shore and with the sea depth. Although the qualitative structure of zooplankton is almost identical with that of the coastal waters, the quantitative structure changes quite significantly. The maximum values of zooplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the summer season, both in the Gdańsk Deep and the inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk. Copepoda dominated in the composition of zooplankton for almost the entire duration of the research.. Quantitative taxonomic composition of Copepoda at station P1 (the Gdańsk Deep) was different compared to station P2 (the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdańsk) due to a high percentage of a crustacean preferring waters with lower temperature and higher salinity – Pseudocalanus sp.

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Seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of copepods in the south-eastern Baltic Sea in 2010 and 2011

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5562 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5562

Author(s):

Lidia Dzierzbicka-Glowacka ◽

Anna Lemieszek ◽

Marcin Kalarus ◽

Evelina Griniene

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Taxonomic Structure ◽

The South ◽

Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽

South Eastern ◽

Gdansk Deep ◽

Gulf Of Gdansk ◽

Eastern Baltic

Background Copepods are major secondary producers in the World Ocean. They represent an important link between phytoplankton, microzooplankton and higher trophic levels such as fish. They are an important source of food for many fish species but also a significant producer of detritus. In the terms of the role they play in the marine food web, it is important to know how environmental variability affects the population of copepods. Methods The study of the zooplankton community in the south-eastern Baltic Sea conducted during a 24-month survey (from January 2010 to November 2011) resulted in the identification of 24 invertebrate species (10 copepods, seven cladocerans, four rotifers, one ctenophore, one larvacean, and one amphipod). Data were collected at two stations located in the open sea waters of the Gulf of Gdansk: the Gdansk Deep (P1) (54°50′N, 19°19′E) and in the western, inner part of the Gulf of Gdansk (P2) (54°32′N, 18°48.2′E). The vertical hauls were carried out with the use of two kinds of plankton nets with a mesh size of 100 µm: a Copenhagen net (in 2010), and a WP-2 net (in 2011). Results The paper describes the seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of copepods, taking into account the main Baltic calanoid copepod taxa (Acartia spp., Temora longicornis and Pseudocalanus sp.). They have usually represented the main component of zooplankton. The average number of copepods at the P1 Station during the study period of 2010 was 3,913 ind m−3(SD 2,572) and their number ranged from 1,184 ind m−3 (in winter) to 6,293 ind m−3(in spring). One year later, the average count of copepods was higher, at 11,723 ind m−3(SD 6,980), and it ranged from 2,351 ind m−3(in winter) to 18,307 ind m−3(in summer). Their average count at P2 Station in 2010 was 29,141 ind m−3, ranging from 3,330 ind m−3(in March) to 67,789 ind m−3(in May). The average count of copepods in 2011 was much lower at 17,883 ind m−3, and it ranged from 1,360 ind m−3 (in April) to 39,559 ind m−3 (in May). Discussion The environmental conditions of the pelagic habitat change in terms of both depth and distance from the shore. Although the qualitative (taxonomic) structure of zooplankton is almost identical to that of the coastal waters, the quantitative structure (abundance and biomass) changes quite significantly. The maximum values of zooplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the summer season, both in the Gdansk Deep and in the inner part of the Gulf of Gdansk. Copepods dominated in the composition of zooplankton for almost the entire time of the research duration. Quantitative composition of copepods at the P1 Station differed from the one at P2 Station due to the high abundance of Pseudocalanus sp. which prefers colder, more saline waters.

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Factors determining the accumulation of pentachlorophenol — a precursor of dioxins in bottom sediments of the Gulf of Gdańsk (Baltic Sea)

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies ◽

10.2478/s13545-014-0128-9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Marta Kobusińska ◽

Maria Skauradszun ◽

Elżbieta Niemirycz

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Bottom Sediments ◽

Sediment Toxicity ◽

Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Gdansk Deep ◽

Vistula River ◽

Gulf Of Gdansk ◽

The Baltic ◽

Chlorinated Dioxins

AbstractPentachlorophenol (PCP) and its derivatives are considered to be the precursors of dioxins, thus their concentrations in environmental compartments remain relatively correlated. Unlimited production and usage of PCP in recent decades may have posed a potential ecological threat to marine ecosystems due to uncontrolled discharge of this contaminant into the Vistula River and finally into the Gulf of Gdańsk. Since there are no data on PCP concentration in sediments of the southern part of the Baltic Sea, the level of contamination has been examined and possible influence of sediment properties in the Gulf of Gdańsk on the accumulation intensification has been investigated. The study has resulted in the evaluation of an efficient analytical procedure characterized by a low detection limit (LOD<1 ng g−1 d.w.). Instrumental analyses have been supplemented with Microtox® bioassay in order to assess the sediment toxicity. The obtained concentrations in collected samples varied from below the LOD in sandy sediments to 179.31 ng g−1 d.w. in silty sediments, exceeding the PNEC value of 25 ng g−1 d.w. (Predicted No Effect Concentration) estimated for the Baltic Sea (Muir & Eduljee 1999). It has been proven that properties of sediments from the Gulf of Gdańsk, including pH, Eh of bottom water, the content of water and organic matter, affect the rate of PCP accumulation. High toxicity has been recorded in the bottom sediments of the Gdańsk Deep but no statistically significant correlation between PCP concentration and the sediment toxicity has been observed. Analysis of PCP concentration distribution in sediment cores revealed that the surface layer is the most polluted one, which indicates a continuous inflow of PCP from the Vistula River. Horizontal PCP distribution in the sediment from the Gdańsk Deep reveals variability similar to that observed for highly chlorinated dioxins (Niemirycz & Jankowska 2011).

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Holocene diatom biostratigraphy of the SW Gulf of Gdańsk, Southern Baltic Sea (part III)

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies ◽

10.2478/v10009-008-0017-x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Małgorzata Leśniewska ◽

Małgorzata Witak

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

The South ◽

Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Southern Baltic Sea ◽

Gulf Of Gdansk ◽

Southern Baltic ◽

The Baltic ◽

Palaeoenvironmental Changes

Holocene diatom biostratigraphy of the SW Gulf of Gdańsk, Southern Baltic Sea (part III)The palaeoenvironmental changes of the south-western part of the Gulf of Gdańsk during the last 8,000 years, with reference to the stages of the Baltic Sea, were reconstructed. Diatom analyses of two cores taken from the shallower and deeper parts of the basin enabled the conclusion to be drawn that the microflora studied developed in the three Baltic phases: Mastogloia, Littorina and Post-Littorina. Moreover, the so-called anthropogenic assemblage was observed in subbottom sediments of the study area.

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