Title of thesis: ZOOPLANKTON POPULATION DYNAMICS IN RELATION TO THE RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE KARENIA BREVIS ON THE WEST FLORIDA SHELF OF THE GULF OF MEXICO
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چکیده
Title of thesis: ZOOPLANKTON POPULATION DYNAMICS IN RELATION TO THE RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE KARENIA BREVIS ON THE WEST FLORIDA SHELF OF THE GULF OF MEXICO Brianne M. Walsh, Master of Science, 2012 Thesis directed by: Research Assistant Professor Judith M. O’Neil University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory Blooms of the toxin producing dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are common in the Gulf of Mexico, and while several studies have investigated nutrient sources and bloom processes, there has been less research in regards to zooplankton population dynamics within these blooms. Zooplankton community structure and copepod species composition were analyzed from samples collected on the West Florida Shelf during October 2007-2010. Copepods constituted the most important zooplankton group, averaging 60% of total abundance. In 2009 there was a significant difference between the abundance of zooplankton at stations within a K. brevis bloom. As the K. brevis bloom progressed, total zooplankton abundance decreased. Additionally, the role of zooplankton within Karenia brevis blooms was investigated as both grazers of primary productivity and potential sources of regenerated nutrients.
منابع مشابه
A historical assessment of Karenia brevis in the western Gulf of Mexico
This work examines the historical records of red tides in the western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as they pertain to the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (Davis) G. Hansen and Moestrup. K. brevis commonly causes major fish kills, human respiratory distress, and significant economic disruption in the Gulf of Mexico. It can also lead to illness by consumption of contaminated shellfish. The nearly ann...
متن کاملA 1 - D simulation analysis of the development and maintenance of the 2001 red tide of the ichthyotoxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis on the West Florida shelf 0602435 N 73 - 6463 - 01 - 5
A one-dimensional (1-D) ecological model, HABSIM, examined the initiation and maintenance of the 2001 red tide on the West Florida shelf (WFS). Phytoplankton competition among toxic dinoflagellates (Karenia brevis), nitrogen fixing cyanophytes (Trichodesmium erythraeum), large siliceous phytoplankton (diatoms), and small non-siliceous phytoplankton (microflagellates) explored the sequence of ev...
متن کاملCharacterization and isolation of a rotifer-deterrent compound in the red tide dinoflagellate Karenia brevis
Spontaneous phytoplankton blooms cause extensive damage to aquatic ecosystems all over the world. Red Tide, a type of bloom, causes extensive damage in the Gulf of Mexico every year. Red tide is caused by Karenia brevis, a type of phytoplankton known to be especially hazardous because of the harmful toxins it secretes into its environment. Although this phytoplankton species, like many others, ...
متن کاملThe effect of environmental factors on the growth rate of Karenia brevis (Davis) G. Hansen and Moestrup
The red tide dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (Davis) G. Hansen and Moestrup is noted for causing mass mortalities of marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico. Most research has focused on culture isolates from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. In this investigation, we examine the effects of light, temperature and salinity on the growth rate of K. brevis from the western Gulf of Mexico. Growth rates of K...
متن کاملRed tides in the Gulf of Mexico: Where, when, and why?
[1] Independent data from the Gulf of Mexico are used to develop and test the hypothesis that the same sequence of physical and ecological events each year allows the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis to become dominant. A phosphorus-rich nutrient supply initiates phytoplankton succession, once deposition events of Saharan iron-rich dust allow Trichodesmium blooms to utilize ubiquitous dissol...
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