Copepods; faecal pellets; phytoplankton; Phaeocystis; North Sea
Abstract :
[en] Copepod faecal pellet characteristics and production were measured in spring 1995, 1996 and 1997 in the North Sea Southern Bight in order to define changes due to the development of the phytoplankton bloom. Changes were related to the succession from diatoms to a Phaeocystis sp. bloom. Mean monthly pellet production decreased during the Phaeocystis bloom development to 0.27 pellets ind. –1 h –1, approximately 80% lower than before and after the bloom. Although phytoplanktonic pigments showed significant differences between inshore and offshore stations, there was no such significant difference for faecal pellet production. Faecal pellet sinking-rate decreased from 100 to 70 m day –1 during the transition from a diatom- to a Phaeocystis-dominated bloom. This was due to a decrease in pellet density and/or a decrease of the pellet volume. These results supported the idea of lower feeding of copepods under Phaeocystis bloom conditions. As mean seasonal density of copepod faecal pellets was higher (1.37 g cm –3) than in other seas, accidental ingestion of sedimentary material as the cause of this high density is discussed.
Research center :
MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège
Disciplines :
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Author, co-author :
Frangoulis, Costa; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ecohydrodynamics
Belkhiria, Sami; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ecohydrodynamics
Goffart, Anne ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie
Hecq, Jean-Henri ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie
Language :
English
Title :
Dynamics of copepod faecal pellets in relation to a Phaeocystis dominated phytoplankton bloom: characteristics, production and flux
Publication date :
2001
Journal title :
Journal of Plankton Research
ISSN :
0142-7873
eISSN :
1464-3774
Publisher :
Oxford University Press - Journals Department, Oxford, United Kingdom
Alldredge A.L., Gotschalk C.C., MacIntyre S. (1987) Evidence for sustained residence of macrocrustacean faecal pellets in surface waters off southern California. Deep-Sea Res. 34:1641-1652.
Althuis I.J.A., Gieskes W.W.C., Villerius L., Colijn F. (1994) Interpretation of fluorometric chlorophyll registrations with algal pigment analysis along a ferry transect in the southern North Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 33:37-46.
Baars M.A., Oosterhuis S.S. (1984) Diurnal feeding rhythms in North Sea copepods measured by gut fluorescence, digestive enzyme activity and grazing on labeled food. Neth. J. Sea Res. 18:97-119.
Bathmann U.V., Noji T.T., Voss M., Peinert R. (1987) Copepod faecal pellets: Abundance, sedimentation and content at a permanent station in Norwegian Sea in May/June 1986. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 38:45-51.
Bautista B., Harris R.P., Tranter P.R.G., Harbour D. (1992) In situ copepod feeding and grazing rates during spring bloom dominated by Phaeocystis sp. in the English Channel. J. Plankton Res. 14:691-703.
Becker G., Dooley H., Ozer J., Prandle D., Svendsen E. (1993) Physical oceanography., ICES (ed.), North Sea Tusk Force North Sea Quality Status Report 1993. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg; 20-33.
Becquevort S., Rousseau V., Lancelot C. (1998) Major and comparable roles for free-living and attached bacteria in the degradation of Phaeocystis-derived organic matter in Belgian coastal water of the North Sea. Aquat. Microb. Ecol. 14:39-48.
Belkhiria S., Goffart A., Hecq J.H. (1996) Determination of zooplankton grazing pressure and faecal pellet production in a frontal zone of the North Sea., Progress in Belgian Oceanographic Research. Brussels, Royal Academy of Belgium; 19-22.
Billen G., Joiris C., Meyer-Reil L., Lindeboom H. (1990) Role of bacteria in the North Sea ecosystem. Neth. J. Sea Res. 26:265-293.
Boon A.R., Duineveld G.C.A., Berghuis E.M., Van der Weele J.A. (1998) Relationships between benthic activity and the annual phytopigment cycle in near-bottom water and sediments in the southern North Sea. Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci. 46:1-13.
Borges A.V., Frankignoulle M. (1999) Daily and seasonal variations of the partial pressure of CO2 in surface seawater along Belgian and southern Dutch coastal areas. J. Mar. Syst. 19:251-266.
Buma A.G.J., Bano N., Veldhuis M.J.W., Kraay G.W. (1991) Comparison of the pigmentation of two strains of the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis sp. Neth. J. Sea Res. 27:173-182.
Daan R. (1989) Factors controlling the summer development of copepod populations in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 23:305-322.
Dagg M.J., Walser W.E. Jr. (1986) The effect of food concentration on faecal pellet size in marine copepods. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31:1066-1071.
Daro M.H. (1986) Field study of the diel, selective and efficiency feeding of the marine copepod Temora longicornis in the Southern Bight of the North Sea., Progress in Belgian Oceanographic Research. Royal Academy of Belgium, Brussels; 250-263.
Daro M.H., Van Gijsegem B. (1984) Ecological factors affecting weight, feeding and production of five dominant copepods in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Rapp. P.-v., Réun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 183:226-233.
Fowler S.W., Small L. (1972) Sinking rates of euphausiid faecal pellets. Limnol. Oceanogr. 17:293-296.
Fowler S.W., Buat-Ménard P., Yokoyama Y., Ballestra S., Holm E., Nguyen H.V. (1987) Rapid removal of Chernobyl fallout from Mediterranean surface waters by biological activity. Nature 329:56-58.
Fransz H.G. (1975) The spring development of calanoid copepod population in Dutch coastal waters as related to primary production., Persoone, G. and Jaspers, E. (eds), Proc. 10th European Symposium on Marine Biology. Universa Press, Wetteren; 247-269.
Gamble J.C. (1978) Copepod grazing during a declining spring phytoplankton bloom in the northern North Sea. Mar. Biol. 49:303-315.
Gasparini S., Daro M.-H., Antajan E., Tackx M., Rousseau V., Parent J.-Y., Lancelot C. (2000) Mesozooplankton grazing during the Phaeocystis globosa bloom in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. J. Sea Res. 43:345-356.
Goffart A., Hecq J.H. (1989) Zooplankton biochemistry and ecodynamics., Caschetto, S. (ed.), Belgian Scientific Research Program on Antarctica, Scientific Results of Phase 1. Prime Minister's Services - Science Policy Office, Brussels; 33-38.
Hansen F.C., Van Boekel W.H.M. (1991) Grazing pressure of the calanoid copepod Temora longicornis on a Phaeocystis dominated spring bloom in a Dutch tidal inlet. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 78:123-129.
Hansen B., Fotel F.L., Jensen N.J., Mansen S.D. (1996) Bacteria associated with a marine planktonic copepod in culture. II. Degradation of faecal pellets produced on a diatom, a nanoflagellate or a dinoflagellate diet. J. Plankton Res. 18:275-288.
Hecq J.H. Distribution et dynamique des communautés zooplanctoniques en relation avec le cycle du carbone en baie Sud de la mer du Nord, PhD thesis, University of Liège, 234 pp.; 1982.
Hecq J.H., Gaspar A. (1980) Composition biochimique du zooplancton de la mer du Nord. Approche écologique. Ann. Soc. Roy. Zool. Belg. 110:105-113.
Hofmann E.E., Klinck J.M., Paffenhöfer G.-A. (1981) Concentrations and vertical fluxes of zooplankton fecal pellets on a continental self. Mar. Biol. 61:327-335.
Honjo S. (1979) Material fluxes and modes of sedimentation in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones. J. Mar. Res. 38:53-97.
Honjo S., Roman M.R. (1978) Marine copepod faecal pellets: Production, preservation and sedimentation. J. Mar. Res. 36:45-57.
Jeffrey S.W. (1997) Application of pigment methods to oceanography., Jeffrey, S. W., Mantoura, R. F. C. and Wright, S. W. (eds), Phytoplankton Pigments in Oceanography. Unesco Publishing, Paris; 127-166.
Joiris C., Billen G., Lancelot C., Daro M.H., Mommaerts J.P., Bertels A., Bossicart M., Hecq J.H. (1982) A budget of carbon cycling in the Belgian coastal zone: Relative roles of zooplankton, bacterioplankton and benthos in the utilisation of primary production. Neth. J. Sea Res. 16:260-275.
Karl D.M., Knauer G.A. (1984) Vertical distribution, transport, and exchange of carbon in the northeast Pacific Ocean: Evidence for multiple zones of biological activity. Deep-Sea Res. 31:221-243.
Klein Breteler W.C.M., Fransz H.G., Gonzalez S.R. (1982) Growth and development of four calanoid copepod species under experimental and natural conditions. Neth. J. Sea Res. 16:195-207.
Komar P.D., Morse A.P., Small L.F., Fowler S.W. (1981) An analysis of sinking rates of natural copepod and euphausiid faecal pellets. Limnol. Oceanogr. 26:172-180.
Krause M. (1981) Vertical distribution of faecal pellets during FLEX '76. Helgol. Wiss. Meeres. 34:313-327.
Lampitt R.S., Noji T., Von Bodungen B. (1990) What happens to zooplankton faecal pellets? Implications for material flux. Mar. Biol. 104:15-23.
Lancelot C., Mathot S., Owens N.J.P. (1986) Modelling protein synthesis, a step to an accurate estimate of net primary production: Phaeocystis pouchetii colonies in Belgian coastal waters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 32:193-202.
Lane P.V.Z., Smith S.L., Urban J.L., Biscaye P.E. (1994) Carbon flux associated with zooplankton faecal pellets on the shelf of the Middle Atlantic Bight. Deep-Sea Res. 41:437-457.
Lick W. (1982) Entrainment, deposition, and transport of fine-grained sediments in lakes. Hydrobiol. 91:31-40.
Mantoura R.F.C., Llewellyn C.A. (1983) The rapid determination of algal chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments and their breakdown products in natural waters by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Anal. Chim. Acta 151:297-314.
Marshall S.M., Orr A.P. (1966) Respiration and feeding in some small copepods. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc UK 46:513-530.
Martens P., Krause M. (1990) The fate of faecal pellets in the North Sea. Helgol. Wiss. Meeres. 44:9-19.
Mills D.K., Tett P.B., Novarino G. (1994) The spring bloom in the south western North Sea in 1989. Neth. J. Sea Res. 33:65-80.
Nihoul J.C.J., Hecq J.H. (1984) Influence of the residual circulation on the physico-chemical characteristics of water masses and the dynamics of ecosystems in the Belgian coastal zone. Cont. Shelf Res. 3:167-174.
Noether G.E. Introduction to Statistics. A Non Parametric Approach, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston; 1976.
Noji T.T., Estep K.E., Macintyre F., Norrbin F. (1991) Image analysis of faecal material grazed upon by three species of copepods: Evidence for coprorhexy, coprophagy and coprochaly. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 71:465-480.
Paffenhöfer G.-A., Knowles S.C. (1979) Ecological implications of fecal pellet size, production and consumption by copepods. J. Mar. Res. 37:35-49.
Riebesell U., Reigstad M., Wassmann P., Noji T., Passow U. (1995) On the trophic fate of Phaeocystis pouchetii (Hariot): VI. Significance of Phaeocystis-derived mucus for vertical flux. Neth. J. Sea Res. 33:193-203.
Rousseau V., Mathot S., Lancelot C. (1990) Calculating carbon biomass of Phaeocystis sp. from microscopic observations. Mar. Biol. 107:305-314.
Rousseau V., Vaulot D., Cassotti R., Cariou V., Lenz J., Gunkel J., Baumann M. (1994) The life cycle of Phaeocystis (Prymnesiophyceae): Evidence and hypotheses. J. Mar. Syst. 5:23-39.
Sasaki H., Hattori H., Nishizawa S. (1988) Downward flux of particulate organic matter and vertical distribution of calanoid copepods in the Oyashio Water in summer. Deep-Sea Res. 35:505-515.
Schoemann V., De Baar H.J.W., Jong J.T.M., Lancelot C. (1998) Effects of phytoplankton blooms on the cycling of manganese and iron in coastal waters. Limnol. Oceanogr. 43:1427-1441.
Skjoldal H.R., Wassmann P. (1986) Sedimentation of particulate organic matter and silicium during spring and summer in Lindaspollene, Western Norway. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 30:49-63.
Small L.F., Fowler S.W., Ûnlü M.Y. (1979) Sinking rates of natural copepod faecal pellets. Mar. Biol. 51:233-241.
Smayda T.J. (1969) Some measurements of the sinking rate of faecal pellets. Limnol. Oceanogr. 14:621-625.
Smayda T.J. (1971) Normal and accelerated sinking of phytoplankton in the sea. Marine Geol. 11:105-122.
Turner J.T. (1977) Sinking rates of faecal pellets from the marine copepod Pontella meadii. Mar. Biol. 40:249-259.
Turner J.T. (1984) Zooplankton feeding ecology: Contents of faecal pellets of the copepods Eucalanus pileatus and Paracalanus quasimodo from continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15:27-46.
Urban J.L., Deibel D., Scwinghamer P. (1993) Seasonal variations in the densities of faecal pellets produced by Oikopleura vanhoeffeni (C Larvacea) and Calanus finmarchicus (C Copepoda). Mar. Biol. 117:607-613.
Weisse T. (1983) Feeding of calanoid copepods in relation to Phaeocystis pouchetii blooms in the German Wadden Sea area off Sylt. Mar. Biol. 74:87-94.
Weisse T., Tande K., Verity P., Hansen F., Gieskes W. (1994) The trophic significance of Phaeocystis blooms. J. Mar. Syst. 5:57-79.
Wiebe P.H., Boyd S.H., Winget C. (1976) Particulate matter sinking to the deep-sea floor at 2000 m in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas, with a description of a new sedimentation trap. J. Mar. Res. 34:341-354.