Eutrophication and overfishing in temperate nearshore pelagic food webs: a network perspective

Eutrophication and overfishing in temperate nearshore pelagic food webs: a network perspective

We investigated the effects of human activities on the pelagic food web structure of nearshore marine ecosystems. Their generic structure was established on the basis of literature review and analyzed by qualitative structural network analysis. Two main issues were addressed: (1) the role of species capable of forming harmful algal blooms (HABs) and red tides (Noctiluca spp.), as well as the ro...

Toxic marine phytoplankton, zooplankton grazers, and pelagic food webs

Interactions between toxic phytoplankton and their zooplankton grazers are complex. Some zooplanktcrs ingest some toxic phytoplankters with no apparent harm, whereas others are deleteriously affected. Phycotoxins vary in their modes of action, levels of toxicity and solubility, and affect grazers in different ways. Beyond effects on direct grazers, toxins may accumulate in and be transfcrrcd th...

Dispersed Oil Disrupts Microbial Pathways in Pelagic Food Webs

Most of the studies of microbial processes in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill focused on the deep water plume, and not on the surface communities. The effects of the crude oil and the application of dispersants on the coastal microbial food web in the northern Gulf of Mexico have not been well characterized even though these regions support much of the fisheries production in the Gu...

Consumer Versus Resource Control in Freshwater Pelagic Food Webs

Models predict that food-web structure is regulated by both consumers and resources, and the strength of this control is dependent on trophic position and food-web length. To test these hypotheses, a meta-analysis was conducted of 11 fish (consumer)-by-nutrient (resource) factorial plankton community experiments. As predicted, zooplankton biomass was under strong consumer control but was weakly...

Large Zooplankton: Its Role in Pelagic Food Webs