Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T16:39:41.298Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Phytoplankton community size structure, primary production and copepod production in a subtropical coastal inlet in Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2013

Alle A.Y. Lie ,
Lik Chi Wong  and
C. Kim Wong
Alle A.Y. Lie
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
Lik Chi Wong
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
C. Kim Wong*
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C.K. Wong, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Phytoplankton primary production and copepod production, and the size composition of the phytoplankton community in Tolo Harbour, a semi-enclosed bay in north-eastern Hong Kong, were studied from February 2008 to March 2009. Chlorophyll-a (Chl a) concentrations decreased from an average of 9.07 µg l−1 in the inner part of the bay to 3.07 µg l−1 at the mouth of the bay. In terms of contribution to total Chl a biomass, the >20 µm size fraction dominated the phytoplankton community. The zooplankton community in Tolo Harbour was dominated by small copepods, with cephalothorax length ranging from ~0.3 to 0.4 mm, and the density of copepods decreased from ~15,000 ind.m−3 in the inner part of the bay to ~9,700 ind.m−3 at the mouth of the bay. Depth-integrated net primary production in Tolo Harbour was high, ranging from 0.34 to 10.40 g C m−2 day−1, with an overall mean of 2.64 g C m−2 day−1. In contrast, copepod production was low, ranging from 0.19 to 16.64 mg C m−3 day−1, with an overall mean of 2.73 mg C m−3 day−1. The low transfer efficiency of 1.4% between phytoplankton primary production and copepod secondary production suggests that the large phytoplankton was inefficiently grazed by the small copepods in Tolo Harbour.

Keywords

primary productioncopepod productiontransfer efficiencyeutrophicphytoplankton size fractions
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 8 , December 2013 , pp. 2155 - 2166
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agawin, N.S.R., Duarte, C.M. and Agusti, S. (2000) Nutrient and temperature control of the contribution of picoplankton to phytoplankton biomass and production. Limnology and Oceanography 45, 591–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ara, K. and Hiromi, J. (2007) Temporal variability in primary and copepod production in Sagami Bay, Japan. Journal of Plankton Research 29 (Supplement 1), i85–i96.Google Scholar
Bergquist, A.M., Carpenter, S.R. and Latino, J.C. (1985) Shifts in phytoplankton size structure and community composition during grazing by contrasting zooplankton assemblages. Limnology and Oceanography 30, 1037–1045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruno, S.F., Staker, R.D., Sharma, G.M. and Turner, J.T. (1983) Primary productivity and phytoplankton size fraction dominance in a temperate North Atlantic estuary. Estuaries 6, 200–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burford, M.A. and Rothlisberg, P.C. (1999) Factors limiting phytoplankton production in a tropical continental shelf ecosystem. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 48, 541–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calbet, A. (2001) Mesozooplankton grazing effect on primary production: a global comparative analysis in marine ecosystems. Limnology and Oceanography 46, 1824–1830.Google Scholar
Castellani, C., Irigoein, X., Harris, R.P. and Holliday, N.P. (2007) Regional and temporal variation of Oithona spp. biomass, stage structure and productivity in the Irminger Sea, North Atlantic. Journal of Plankton Research 29, 1051–1070.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cermeño, P., Marañón, E., Pérez, V., Serret, P., Fernández, E. and Castro, C.G. (2006) Phytoplankton size structure and primary production in a highly dynamic coastal ecosystem (Ría de Vigo, NW-Spain): seasonal and short-time scale variability. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 67, 251–266.Google Scholar
Cermeño, P., Marañón, E., Rodríguez, J. and Fernández, E. (2005) Large-sized phytoplankton sustain higher carbon-specific photosynthesis than smaller cells in a coastal eutrophic ecosystem. Marine Ecology Progress Series 297, 51–60.Google Scholar
Chan, B.S.S. and Hodgkiss, I.J. (1987) Phytoplankton productivity in Tolo Harbour. Asian Marine Biology 4, 79–90.Google Scholar
Chau, K.W. (2007) Integrated water quality management in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong: a case study. Journal of Cleaner Production 15, 1568–1572.Google Scholar
Falkowski, P.G., Katz, M.E., Knoll, A.H., Quigg, A., Raven, J.A., Schofield, O. and Taylor, F.J.R. (2004) The evolution of modern eukaryotic phytoplankton. Science 305, 354–360.Google Scholar
Fessenden, L. and Cowles, T.J. (1994) Copepod predation on phagotrophic ciliates in Oregon coastal waters. Marine Ecology Progress Series 107, 103–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fish, C.J. (1936) The biology of Oithona similis in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy. Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole 71, 168–187.Google Scholar
Gin, K.Y.H., Lin, X. and Zhang, S. (2000) Dynamics and size structure of phytoplankton in the coastal waters of Singapore. Journal of Plankton Research 22, 1465–1484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gong, G., Shiah, F., Liu, K., Wen, Y. and Liang, M. (2000) Spatial and temporal primary productivity and chemical hydrography in the southern East China Sea. Continental Shelf Research 20, 411–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gong, G., Wen, Y., Wang, B. and Liu, G. (2003) Seasonal variation of chlorophyll a concentration, primary production and environmental conditions in the subtropical East China Sea. Deep-Sea Research II 50, 1219–1236.Google Scholar
Hansen, B., Bjørnsen, P.K. and Hansen, P.J. (1994) The size ratio between planktonic predators and their prey. Limnology and Oceanography 39, 395–403.Google Scholar
Harding, L.W., Mallonee, M.E. and Perry, E.S. (2002) Toward a predictive understanding of primary productivity in a temperate, partially stratified estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 55, 437–463.Google Scholar
Hirota, R. (1981) Dry weight and chemical composition of the important zooplankton in the Setonaikai (Inland Sea of Japan). Bulletin of the Plankton Society of Japan 28, 19–24.Google Scholar
Hirst, A.G. and Lampitt, R.S. (1998) Towards a global model of in situ weight-specific growth in marine planktonic copepods. Marine Biology 132, 247–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ho, A.Y.T., Xu, J., Yin, K., Jiang, Y., Yuan, X., He, L., Anderson, D.M., Lee, J.H.W. and Harrison, P.J. (2010) Phytoplankton biomass and production in subtropical Hong Kong waters: influence of the Pearl River Outflow. Estuaries and Coasts 33, 170–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holligan, P.M., Williams, P.J.L. and Purdie, D. (1984) Photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen supply of plankton populations in stratified, frontal and tidally mixed shelf waters. Marine Ecology Progress Series 17, 201–213.Google Scholar
Holmes, P.R. (1988) Tolo Harbour—the case for integrated water quality management in a coastal environment. Water and Environmental Management 2, 171–179.Google Scholar
Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (2009) Marine water quality in Hong Kong 2008. Hong Kong: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.Google Scholar
Huntley, M.E. and Lopez, M.D.G. (1992) Temperature-dependent production of marine copepods: a global synthesis. American Naturalist 140, 201–242.Google Scholar
Hwang, J.S. and Wong, C.K. (2005) The China Coastal Current as a driving force for transporting Calanus sinicus (Copepoda: Calanoida) from its population centers to waters off Taiwan and Hong Kong during the winter northeast monsoon period. Journal of Plankton Research 27, 205–210.Google Scholar
Iriarte, A. and Purdie, D.A. (1994) Size distribution of chlorophyll a biomass and primary production in a temperate estuary (Southampton Water): the contribution of photosynthetic picoplankton. Marine Ecology Progress Series 115, 283–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Irwin, A.J., Finkel, Z.V., Schofield, O.M.E. and Falkowski, P.G. (2006) Scaling-up from nutrient physiology to the size-structure of phytoplankton communities. Journal of Plankton Research 28, 459–471.Google Scholar
Kimmerer, W.J. and McKinnon, A.D. (1986) Glutaraldehyde fixation to maintain biomass of preserved plankton. Journal of Plankton Research 8, 1003–1008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein Breteler, W.C.M., Koski, M. and Rampen, S. (2004) Role of essential lipids in copepod nutrition: no evidence for trophic upgrading of food quality by a marine ciliate. Marine Ecology Progress Series 274, 199–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lam, C.W.Y. and Ho, K.C. (1989) Phytoplankton characteristics of Tolo Harbour. Asian Marine Biology 6, 5–18.Google Scholar
Landry, M. and Calbet, A. (2004) Microzooplankton production in the oceans. ICES Journal of Marine Science 61, 501–507.Google Scholar
Landry, M. and Hassett, R.P. (1982) Estimating the grazing impact of marine micro-zooplankton. Marine Biology 67, 283–288.Google Scholar
Li, W.K.W. (2002) Macroecological patterns of phytoplankton in the northwestern North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 419, 154–157.Google Scholar
Lie, A.A.Y. and Wong, C.K. (2010) Selectivity and grazing impact of microzooplankton on phytoplankton in two subtropical semi-enclosed bays with different chlorophyll concentrations. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 390, 149–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lie, A.A.Y., Tse, P. and Wong, C.K. (2012) Diel vertical migration and feeding of three species of chaetognaths (Flaccisagitta enflata, Aidanosagitta delicata and Aidanosagitta neglecta) in two shallow, subtropical bays in Hong Kong. Journal of Plankton Research 34, 670–684.Google Scholar
Lie, A.A.Y., Wong, C.K., Lam, J.Y.C., Liu, J.H. and Yung, Y.K. (2011) Changes in the nutrient ratios and phytoplankton community after declines in nutrient concentrations in a semi-enclosed bay in Hong Kong. Marine Environmental Research 71, 178–188.Google Scholar
Liu, K., Chao, S., Shaw, P., Gong, G., Chen, C. and Tang, T.Y. (2002) Monsoon-forced chlorophyll distribution and primary production in the South China Sea: observations and a numerical study. Deep-Sea Research I 49, 1387–1412.Google Scholar
Lohrenz, S.E., Fahnenstiel, G.L., Redalje, D.G., Lang, G.A., Chen, X.G. and Dagg, M.J. (1997) Variations in primary production of northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf waters linked to nutrient inputs from the Mississippi River. Marine Ecology Progress Series 155, 45–54.Google Scholar
Lohrenz, S.E., Fahnenstiel, G.L., Redalje, D.G., Lang, G.A., Dagg, M.J., Whitledge, T.E. and Dortch, Q. (1999) Nutrients, irradiance, and mixing as factors regulating primary production in coastal waters impacted by the Mississippi River plume. Continental Shelf Research 19, 1113–1141.Google Scholar
Morton, B. (1988) Editorial: Hong Kong's first marine ecological disaster. Marine Pollution Bulletin 19, 299–300.Google Scholar
Nagasawa, S. and Marumo, R. (1984) The zooplankton community and its abundance in Tokyo Bay. La Mer 22, 277–286.Google Scholar
Olson, M.B., Lessard, E.J., Wong, C.H.J. and Bernhardt, M.J. (2006) Copepod feeding selectivity on microplankton, including the toxigenic diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp., in the coastal Pacific Northwest. Marine Ecology Progress Series 326, 207–220.Google Scholar
Paffenhöfer, G. (1984) Food ingestion by the marine planktonic copepod Paracalanus in relation to abundance and size distribution of food. Marine Biology 80, 323–333.Google Scholar
Parsons, T.R. and Takahashi, M. (1973) Environmental control of phytoplankton cell size. Limnology and Oceanography 4, 511–515.Google Scholar
Parsons, T.R., Maita, Y. and Lailli, C.M. (1984) A manual of chemical and biological methods for seawater analysis. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Pascual, M. and Caswell, H. (1997) From the cell cycle to population cycles in phytoplankton–nutrient interactions. Ecology 78, 897–912.Google Scholar
Reeve, M.R. (1964) Studies on the seasonal variation of the zooplankton in a marine sub-tropical in-shore environment. Bulletin of Marine Science 14, 103–122.Google Scholar
Riccardi, N. and Mariotto, L. (2000) Seasonal variations in copepod body length: a comparison between different species in the Lagoon of Venice. Aquatic Ecology 34, 243–252.Google Scholar
Rodriguez, J., Tintore, J., Allen, J.T., Blanco, J.M., Gomis, D., Reul, A., Ruiz, J., Rodriguez, V., Echievarria, F. and Jimenez-Gomez, F. (2001) Mesoscale vertical motion and the size structure of phytoplankton in the ocean. Nature 410, 360–363.Google Scholar
Ryther, J.H. (1969) Photosynthesis and fish production in the sea. Science 166, 72–76.Google Scholar
Schulz, M., Koschel, R., Reese, C. and Mehner, T. (2004) Pelagic trophic transfer efficiency in an oligotrophic, dimictic deep lake (Lake Stechlin, Germany) and its relation to fisheries yield. Limnologica 34, 264–273.Google Scholar
Smith, W.O. and Demaster, D.J. (1996) Phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the Amazon River plume: correlation with seasonal river discharge. Continental Shelf Research 16, 291–319.Google Scholar
Sommer, F., Stibor, H., Sommer, U. and Velimirov, B. (2000) Grazing by mesozooplankton from Kiel Bight, Baltic Sea, on different sized algae and natural seston size fractions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 199, 43–53.Google Scholar
Søndergaard, M., Jensen, L.M. and Ærtebjerg, G. (1991) Picoalgae in Danish coastal waters during summer stratification. Marine Ecology Progress Series 79, 139–149.Google Scholar
Sprules, W.G. and Munawar, M. (1986) Plankton size spectra in relation to ecosystem productivity, size, and perturbation. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 43, 1789–1794.Google Scholar
Stolte, W. and Riegman, R. (1995) Effect of phytoplankton cell size on transient-state nitrate and ammonium uptake kinetics. Microbiology 141, 1221–1229.Google Scholar
Stolte, W., McCollin, T., Noordeloos, A.A.M. and Riegman, R. (1994) Effect of nitrogen source on the size distribution within marine phytoplankton populations. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 184, 83–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tamigneaux, E., Legendre, L., Klein, B. and Mingelbier, M. (1999) Seasonal dynamics and potential fate of size-fractionated phytoplankton in a temperate nearshore environment (Western Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 48, 253–269.Google Scholar
Tang, K.W. and Taal, M. (2005) Trophic modification of food quality by heterotrophic protists: species-specific effects on copepod egg production and egg hatching. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 318, 85–98.Google Scholar
Tang, K.W., Chen, Q.C. and Wong, C.K. (1994) Diel vertical migration and gut pigment rhythm of Paracalanus parvus, P. crassirostris, Acartia erythraea and Eucalanus subcrassus (Copepoda, Calanoida) in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. Hydrobiologia 292/ 293, 389–396.Google Scholar
Tremblay, J., Klein, B., Legendre, L., Rivkin, R.B. and Therriault, J. (1997) Estimation of f-ratios in oceans based on phytoplankton size structure. Limnology and Oceanography 42, 595–601.Google Scholar
Turner, J.T. (2004) The importance of small planktonic copepods and their roles in pelagic marine food webs. Zoological Studies 43, 255–266.Google Scholar
Ummerkutty, A.N.P. (1965) Observations on the breeding and seasonal abundances of ten species of planktonic copepods of the Gulf of Mannar. Proceedings of the Symposium on Crustacea 2, 685–697.Google Scholar
Uye, S. and Liang, D. (1998) Copepods attain high abundance, biomass and production in the absence of large predators but suffer cannibalistic loss. Journal of Marine Systems 15, 495–501.Google Scholar
Uye, S. and Sano, K. (1995) Seasonal reproductive biology of the small cyclopoid copepod Oithona davisae in a temperate eutrophic inlet. Marine Ecology Progress Series 118, 121–128.Google Scholar
Uye, S., Kuwata, H. and Endo, T. (1987) Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and planktonic copepods in the Inland Sea of Japan. Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan 42, 421–434.Google Scholar
Uye, S., Nagano, N. and Shimizu, T. (2000) Abundance, biomass, production and trophic roles of micro- and net-zooplankton in Ise Bay, central Japan. Journal of Oceanography 56, 389–398.Google Scholar
Vanni, M.J. (1987) Effects of nutrients and zooplankton size on the structure of a phytoplankton community. Ecology 68, 624–635.Google Scholar
Wang, G., Caow, W., Xu, D. and Yang, Y. (2007) Variability of phytoplankton absorption in the northern South China Sea: influence of the size structure and pigment composition of algal populations. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 26, 12–25.Google Scholar
Watson, S.B., McCauley, E. and Downing, J.A. (1997) Patterns in phytoplankton taxonomic composition across temperate lakes of differing nutrient status. Limnology and Oceanography 42, 487–495.Google Scholar
Wiadnyana, N.N. and Rassoulzadegan, F. (1989) Selective feeding of Acartia clausi and Centropages typicus on microzooplankton. Marine Ecology Progress Series 53, 37–45.Google Scholar
Wong, C.K. and Wong, C.K. (2004) Study of phytoplankton characteristics in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong, by HPLC analysis of chemotaxonomic pigments. Journal of Applied Phycology 16, 469–476.Google Scholar
Wong, C.K., Chan, A.L.C. and Chen, Q.C. (1993) Planktonic copepods of Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. Crustaceana 64, 76–84.Google Scholar
Wong, C.K., Chan, A.L.C. and Tang, K.W. (1992) Natural ingestion rates and grazing impact of the marine cladoceran Penilia avirostris Dana in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. Journal of Plankton Research 14, 1757–1765.Google Scholar
Wong, C.K., Yau, E.Y.W. and Lie, A.A.Y. (2012) The seasonal distribution, diel vertical distribution and feeding behavior of Paraeuchaeta concinna in the shallow subtropical coastal waters of eastern Hong Kong. Aquatic Biosystems 8, 28.Google Scholar
Yin, K., Zhang, J., Qian, P., Jian, W., Huang, L., Chen, J. and Wu, C.S. (2004) Effect of wind events on phytoplankton blooms in the Pearl River estuary during summer. Continental Shelf Research 24, 1909–1923.Google Scholar
Zhang, G.T. and Wong, C.K. (2011) Changes in the planktonic copepod community in a landlocked bay in the subtropical coastal waters of Hong Kong during recovery from eutrophication. Hydrobiologia 666, 277–288.Google Scholar
Zhang, G.T. and Wong, C.K. (2013) Population abundance and body size of Calanus sinicus in marginal habitats in the coastal seas of south-eastern Hong Kong. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 93, 135–142.Google Scholar
Zvalinskii, V.I., Lobanov, V.B., Zakharkov, S.P. and Tishchenko, P.Y. (2006) Chlorophyll delayed fluorescence, and primary production in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan. Oceanography 46, 23–32.Google Scholar