The Interannual Changes in the Secondary Production and Mortality Rate of Main Copepod Species in the Gulf of Gdańsk (The Southern Baltic Sea)

The main objective of this paper was description of seasonal and interannual trends in secondary production and mortality rates of the three most important Copepoda taxa in the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic Sea). Samples were collected monthly from six stations located in the western part of the Gulf of Gdańsk during three research periods: 1998–2000, 2006–2007, and 2010–2012. Production was calculated based on copepod biomass and mortality rates estimated according to vertical life table approach. Redundancy analysis was used to investigate relationship between secondary production and environmental conditions. During the entire research period there was significant interannual and seasonal variability of secondary production, mortality rate, as well as abundance and biomass anomalies. Conducted analysis revealed positive correlation between increasing temperature and production of Acartia spp. and Temora longicornis developmental stages, while older copepodites of Pseudocalanus acuspes showed almost negative correlation with temperature. The mortality rate estimations obtained for Acartia spp. were the highest in summer, while Temora longicornis peaked in spring–summer period. The lowest mortality rate estimations were noted in autumn and winter for almost all stages of investigated taxa.

Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea

Several methanogenic pathways in oxic surface waters were recently discovered, but their relevance in the natural environment is still unknown. Our study examines distinct methane (CH4) enrichments that repeatedly occur below the thermocline during the summer months in the central Baltic Sea. In agreement with previous studies in this region, we discovered differences in the methane distributions between the western and eastern Gotland Basin, pointing to in situ methane production below the thermocline in the latter (concentration of CH4 14.1±6.1 nM, δ13C CH4 −62.9 ‰). Through the use of a high-resolution hydrographic model of the Baltic Sea, we showed that methane below the thermocline can be transported by upwelling events towards the sea surface, thus contributing to the methane flux at the sea–air interface. To quantify zooplankton-associated methane production rates, we developed a sea-going methane stripping-oxidation line to determine methane release rates from copepods grazing on 14C-labelled phytoplankton. We found that (1) methane production increased with the number of copepods, (2) higher methane production rates were measured in incubations with Temora longicornis (125±49 fmol methane copepod−1 d−1) than in incubations with Acartia spp. (84±19 fmol CH4 copepod−1 d−1) dominated zooplankton communities, and (3) methane was only produced on a Rhodomonas sp. diet, and not on a cyanobacteria diet. Furthermore, copepod-specific methane production rates increased with incubation time. The latter finding suggests that methanogenic substrates for water-dwelling microbes are released by cell disruption during feeding, defecation, or diffusion from fecal pellets. In the field, particularly high methane concentrations coincided with stations showing a high abundance of DMSP/DMSO-rich Dinophyceae. Lipid biomarkers extracted from phytoplankton- and copepod-rich samples revealed that Dinophyceae are a major food source of the T. longicornis dominated zooplankton community, supporting the proposed link between copepod grazing, DMSP/DMSO release, and the build-up of subthermocline methane enrichments in the central Baltic Sea.

Diet composition of the small sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus) in the Polish part of the southern Baltic Sea

The aim of this survey was to determine the diet composition of the small sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus L.) from coastal waters of the middle coast of Poland. The small sandeel is a fish that is only occasionally caught on an industrial scale in the Polish exclusive economic zone, but it does constitute an important food source for predatory fish, seabirds, and mammals. This species throughout the whole life feeds mostly on zooplankton. The fish for the surveys came from manual trawl hauls carried out in various seasons of the year, between November 2014 and September 2015, in the region of the estuary of the river Łupawa to the southern Baltic Sea. The surveys involved both a macroscopic examination of the stomach fullness degree of the small sandeel and a detailed analysis of its diet composition. Studies results indicated that in the course of the year, over 60% of individuals of the small sandeel had their stomachs filled with food in August, while in the early spring and late autumn their stomachs were often empty. When the samples from all analyzed months were taken into account, the diet of the small sandeel varied and consisted of 26 food components. The basis of the diet was mainly made up of Calanoida: Acartia spp. and Temora longicornis. Moreover, freshwater Cyclopoida had a high frequency of occurrence in the diet of the small sandeel throughout the year of surveys, because as organisms typical for the Lake Gardno, through which the river Łupawa flows, they also occurred in the coastal waters. In May, Harpacticoida also appeared in all analyzed individuals of the small sandeel. Only the largest small sandeels fed on fish larvae and Mysidacea. The diet composition of the small sandeel confirmed that these fish are linked with a specific habitat and do not undertake long-distance food migrations.

Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea

Several methanogenic pathways in oxic surface waters were recently discovered, but their relevance in the natural environment is still unknown. Our study examines distinct methane enrichments that repeatedly occur below the thermocline during the summer months in the central Baltic Sea. In agreement with previous studies in this region, we discovered differences in the methane distributions between the Western and Eastern Gotland Basin, pointing to in situ methane production below the thermocline in the latter (conc. CH4 14.1 ± 6.1 nM, δ13C CH4 −62.9 ‰). Through the use of a high resolution hydrographic model of the Baltic Sea, we showed that methane below the thermocline can be transported by upwelling events towards the sea surface thus contributing to the methane flux at the sea/air interface. To quantify zooplankton-associated methane production rates, we developed a sea-going methane stripping-oxidation line to determine methane release rates from copepods grazing on 14C-labelled phytoplankton. We found that: (1) methane production increased with the number of copepods, (2) higher methane production rates were measured in incubations with Temora longicornis (125 ± 49 fmol methane copepod−1 d−1) than incubations with Acartia spp. (84 ± 19 fmol CH4 copepod−1 d−1) dominated zooplankton communities, and (3) methane was only produced on a Rhodomonas sp. diet, but not on a cyanobacteria diet. Furthermore, copepod-specific methane production rates increased with incubation time. The latter finding suggests that methanogenic substrates for water-dwelling microbes are released by cell disruption during feeding, defecation, or diffusion from fecal pellets. In the field, particularly high methane concentrations coincided with stations showing a high abundance of DMSP-rich Dinophyceae. Lipid biomarkers extracted from phytoplankton- and copepod-rich samples revealed that Dinophyceae are a major food source of the T. longicornis dominated zooplankton community, supporting the proposed link between copepod grazing, DMSP release, and the buildup of subthermocline methane enrichments in the central Baltic Sea.

Selecting for three copepods—feeding of sprat and herring in the Baltic Sea

Predator–prey interactions are a primary structuring force in marine foodwebs and they play an important role in the dynamics of both marine fish populations and their prey. We investigated the individual and spatial patterns in the feeding of two dominant zooplanktivorous clupeids—herring Clupea harengus membras and sprat Sprattus sprattus—in the Baltic Sea in summer, by means of a taxonomic analysis of stomach content. Both species consumed predominantly the small-sized copepods (Temora longicornis, Eurytemora affinis, and Acartia spp.). E. affinis and T. longicornis were generally positively selected by both species. Centropages hamatus was selected only by sprat. With the exception of Pleopis/Podon spp. in the case of small sprat, the remaining prey, i.e. the zooplankton taxa that were found in fish stomachs, were consumed at similar proportions as they occurred in zooplankton. Stomach fullness of fish increased with the increasing proportions of prey in the zooplankton community. The share of empty stomachs was lower for sprat, and among smaller fish in both species. Pairwise dietary overlap between fish decreased when zooplankton diversity increased. Dietary overlap was also lowest among the individuals of sprat, probably due to the wider diet spectrum and diversity of stomach content compared to herring. Our results point to high interspecific competition, where sprat seems to be more successful than herring in finding and consuming prey, and therefore may have an advantage over herring when the zooplankton community is dominated by small-sized taxa.