Coral bleaching events are predicted to occur more frequently in the coming decades with global warming. The susceptibility of corals to bleaching during thermal stress episodes depends on many factors, including the magnitude of thermal stress and irradiance. The interactions among these two factors, and in particular with ultra-violet radiation (UVR), the most harmful component of light, are ...

We evaluated plankton trophic structure in a short-term temporal survey performed throughout a downwelling–upwelling cycle at the SE Brazilian coast. Size-fractioned phytoplankton biomass (PB), microzooplankton (MiZA) and mesozooplankton (MeZA) abundances along with primary (PP) and bacterial production (BP) were estimated for 5 consecutive days at a fixed station in the Cabo Frio upwelling cor...

Accurate abundance and biomass measurements are essential steps for determining the role of nano– microplankton in the microbial food web. Owing to practical constraints, traditional microscope analysis of nano–microplankton requires preservation; but preservatives alter plankton samples and bias the measurements. The majority of studies on the effects of preservation have been based on cell cu...

It is well-known that nutrients shape phytoplankton communities in marine systems, but in coastal waters allochthonous dissolved organic matter (ADOM) may also be of central importance. We studied how humic substances (proxy of ADOM) and other variables influenced the nutritional strategies, size structure and pigment content of the phytoplankton community along a south-north gradient in the Ba...

In this paper, a study on phytoplankton dynamics and size in the tropical coastal waters of Singapore is presented. Chlorophyll-a levels in the Singapore Strait generally range from 0.4 to 10 μg l–1, with an average value of 1.7 μg l–1. In general, higher chlorophyll concentrations are typically found off the east coast of Singapore, as well as in the shallower, more protected waters of the Joh...

BACKGROUND Biological communities are normally composed of a few abundant and many rare species. This pattern is particularly prominent in microbial communities, in which most constituent taxa are usually extremely rare. Although abundant and rare subcommunities may present intrinsic characteristics that could be crucial for understanding community dynamics and ecosystem functioning, microbiolo...

The monthly variations of abundance and productivity of bacteria and phytoplankton were investigated in 2002 at Incheon Dock in Korea, almost closed marine ecosystem. Incheon Dock has unique marine environment with scarcely a current and waves such as in a lake. The bacterial abundance was 0.4-6.3 x 10(6) cells x ml(-1), while the bacterial productivity showed in the range of 0.7-26.3 mgC m(-3)...

-The size distribution of pelagic producers and the size and trophic position of consumers determine the composition and magnitude of sinking fluxes from the surface communities in a simple model of oceanic food webs. Picoplankton, the dominant producers in the model, contribute little to the sinking material, due primarily to the large number of trophic steps between picoplankton and the consu...