Unusual occurrence of planktonic diatom species, Chaetoceros bacteriastroides and Chaetoceros pseudosymmetricus, was noticed in three different marine ecosystems of Adriatic Sea: the Krka Estuary and ...Telaščica Bay in the Central Adriatic, and in southern Adriatic offshore. From 2010 to 2015, these two Chaetoceros species were recorded in heterogeneous environmental conditions and in a very low abundances. Both species are regarded as very rare in world oceans, and consequently knowledge of their distribution and ecology is rather poor. Primarily described from tropical waters and showing Indo-Pacific distribution, C. bacteriastroides and C. pseudosymmetricus findings in Adriatic represent the northernmost records in world's oceans and seas. For C. pseudosymmetricus this is also the first occurrence in European seas. Areal expansion and introduction of new phytoplankton species in the Adriatic Sea might be related to different circulation regimes in the Ionian Sea and the concurrent rise in sea temperature in the Mediterranean in the last decade. Recent investigations have shown that entering currents, of either Atlantic/Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean origin, modify the composition of the plankton community in the Adriatic by bringing different newcomers.
This study was conducted in February, April and June 2009 at three stations in the southern Adriatic. Occurrence of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans and tunicates Salpa fusiformis and Salpa ...maxima in high abundances for the oligotrophic open sea, indicates the importance of physical forcing (vertical mixing) and inflow of nutrient-enriched Atlantic water, due to the Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS) mechanism, into the Adriatic Sea thus creating an environment favourable for their rapid increase. This is the first time a bloom of N. scintillans has been recorded in the open southern Adriatic (OSA). High abundance of Noctiluca and salp populations in the OSA was characterized by low abundance of phytoplankton and other zooplankton, with obvious trophic implications (reduction of food availability to crustacean primary consumers). Moreover, during the S. maxima bloom in June 2009, calanoid copepods and appendicularians were almost completely absent (<1 ind. m−3).
The South Adriatic (SA) is an entry point for water masses originating from the Ionian Sea (IS) and a place of dense water formation for the eastern Mediterranean deep circulation cell. Water masses, ...entering the SA in larger amount during the winter, show decadal variability explained by different circulating regimes (cyclonic and anticyclonic) in the IS, referred to as “Bimodal Oscillating System” (BiOS). Sampling station was situated in the South Adriatic Pit (SAP) with depth of 1200m. Micro- and nano-phytoplankton abundances, community structure, chlorophyll a concentrations, physical and chemical properties are presented in the winter and spring months for five consecutive years (2009–2013) during different circulating regimes of BiOS. Vertical convective mixing was regularly observed in winter except in 2011 which had effect on nutrient availability and consequently on biomass of primary producers. Effect of strong vertical mixing in February 2012 resulted with exceptionally high phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll a concentrations in March of 2012. Strong convective mixing resulted in higher diatom abundances, comparing to winter when mixing did not occur. No such bloom was observed during investigated spring.
•Major factor controlling phytoplankton abundance and biomass is deep winter convection.•Winter convection happened during anticyclonic and cyclonic years.•Strong convective mixing resulted in higher diatom abundances.•No bloom was observed during spring investigations.•Regional meteorology and different water masses influence on winter production.
Abstract We evaluated the seasonal phosphorus (P) status of the plankton community in the Ombla Estuary (OE) by using its specific alkaline phosphatase activity (sAPA). Microphytoplankton (MICRO) ...indicated a substantially higher P deficiency than nanophytoplankton (NANO) and picoplankton (PICO). We found that the prolonged increase in the temperature of the surface estuarine water supported a notable growth of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum spp. in late spring-early summer (June). In the summer (August), we found the maximum microphytoplankton sAPA (MICRO sAPA) (307.8 nmol μg C-1 h-1) in the surface water, in which (84%) dinoflagellates predominated within MICRO with the maximum alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) in all size fractions, including free enzymes. Persistently low discharge of Ombla during summer-early autumn caused a transition from phosphorus- to potentially nitrogen-limited MICRO in the surface water in early autumn (October). Nutrient stress disappeared in winter, in which a significant amount of dissolved orthosilicate, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) enriched the estuary via maximal river discharge and inflow of nutrient-rich coastal waters. MICRO (coccolithophorids and diatoms) had very low APA (surface water) and quantitatively undetectable APA (bottom water) in the nutrient-rich water column in January. This study shows a more significant impact of nutrient concentrations on MICRO than other size classes of the plankton community. Because of the similarity in seasonal hydrological features, we assume that the general pattern of switching from P- to N-limitation of phytoplankton growth also occurs in other highly stratified estuaries along the coastal karst of the eastern Adriatic Sea during the lowest river discharges and groundwater activities in summer-early autumn before the rainy season. This study indicates that a common highly stratified estuary on the eastern Adriatic coast can serve as a natural laboratory to explore connections between nutrient limitations and phytoplankton successions.
In this study, the diatoms of three alternative habitats (epilithon, epiphyton and artificial sub-strate) were compared to understand the differences in composition on artificial and natural ...sub-strates. For this purpose, the samples were collected weekly between 11th August and 2nd Septem-ber 2016 at a sampling site in a shallow marine lake, Mrtvo More (Dead Sea) on Lokrum Island near Dubrovnik (South Adriatic, Croatia). In addition to detailed light microscopic analysis, ultrastructural analysis of benthic diatoms from Lake Mrtvo More was performed for the first time using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A total of 97 taxa were identified in 12 samples. Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg and Halamphora coffeiformis (C.Agardh) Levkov were the most frequent taxa in the samples. Shannon-Wiener diver-sity index (H’) values varied from 1.78 (in September on Padina sp.) to 4.52 (in August on glass). According to non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination, there were two groups: epilithon and artificial glass substrate as Group1 and macroalgae as Group2. The results of the analysis showed that the diatom communities developing on artificial sub-strates accurately correspond to the diatom community of a rock substrate and thus can be used as a representative alternative tool for studies of epilithic diatoms in further experiments.
Kako bi se razumjele razlike između naseljavanja na umjetnim i prirodnim podlogama, u ovom istraživanju uspoređivani su sastavi dijatomeja s tri alternativna staništa (epiliton, epifiton i umjetni supstrat). U tu svrhu uzorci su sakupljani tjedno između kolovoza i rujna 2016. na jednoj lokaciji u plitkom morskom jezeru Mrtvo More na otoku Lokrumu kod Dubrovnika (Južni Jadran, Hrvatska). Osim detaljne analize svjetlosnim mikroskopom, po prvi put je provedena i ultrastrukturna analiza bentoskih dijatomeja iz jezera Mrtvo More pomoću elektronske mikroskopije (SEM). U 12 uzoraka identificirano je ukupno 97 vrsta dijatomeja. Vrste Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg i Halamphora coffeiformis (C.Agardh) Levkov bile su najčešće vrste u uzorcima. Vrijednosti Shannon-Wiener (H’) indeksa varirale su od 1,78 (u rujnu na vrsti Padina sp.) do 4,52 (u kolovozu na staklu). Prema nMDS ordinaciji, razlikuju se dvije skupine zajednica bentoskih dijatomeja: epiliton i umjetna staklena podloga kao Grupa 1 i makroalge kao Grupa 2. Rezultati analize pokazali su da zajednice bentoskih dijatomeja koje se razvijaju na umjetnim podlogama, odgovaraju dijatome-jskoj zajednici kamene podloge i da se stoga mogu koristiti kao reprezentativni alternativni alat za proučavanje epilitskih dijatomeja u daljnjim eksperimentima.
A comprehensive exploratory SERS experiment in conjunction with conventional Raman spectroscopy was conducted to investigate the interface between the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the lightly ...silicified Cylindrotheca closterium diatoms in vivo both in the bulk cells culture and at the single cell level. The SERS chemisorption mechanism was found dependent on the NPs type and size as the SERS signal showed different signature for different NPs, the common SERS feature being the absence of the conventional Raman signal of carotenoids when microalgae are excited with the 532 nm line. SERS results suggest that the (pre)resonance Raman effect observed in bulk diatoms is no longer dominant in the case of SERS in bulk solution. Detection of polyunsaturated fatty acids was achieved together with specific SERS evidence of carotenoids and chlorophylls. The results are a prerequisite for the further exploration the diatoms fluctuant contribution to the SERS outcome of natural seawater.
The initial colonization of bacteria and diatoms on a immersed artificial substrate and the development of diatom assemblages in relation to physico-chemical parameters were investigated on a weekly ...basis at one station in the marine Lake Mrtvo More, South Croatia, from April to October 2016. According to TRIX trophic index, lake showed different trophic character: (i) oligotrophic (at the beginning and the end of the study), (ii) mesotrophic (the end of June to mid-July), (iii)
eutrophic (the end of July to mid-September). Heterotrophic bacteria increased to peak abundances (69,268 cells cm–2) at the beginning of June when the diatoms abundances start to increase. The lake has high diatom species richness (285 diatom taxa within 72 genera), with the highest species diversity index in August. Among diatoms, adnate were the primary colonizers, particularly Cocconeis dirupta W.Gregory var. flexella (Janisch and Rabenhorst) Grunow and Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg var. scutellum, while motile taxa joined the fouling communities from July to September. This study showed close relationship
between diatom species composition and changes of physico-chemical parameters, particularly the nutrient concentrations.
The reproductive cycle of the high shore limpet Patella rustica is described based on histological analysis as the primary method of staging gonad development. Sex-ratios, shell length at sexual ...maturity, gonad developmental stages, mean gonad index and oocyte size were investigated. Males and females were found to differ in size distribution, with females becoming more prevalent from ~28 mm onwards. The estimated shell length at which 50% of males were sexually mature was 13.1 mm. Patella rustica has only one reproductive cycle per year with a spawning peak between November and December for both sexes, and gonad redevelopment from January. First data on the size–frequency analysis of oocytes for this species are also presented, concurring with the qualitative analysis of the gonad developmental stages. This study presents updated information on the reproductive cycle of this keystone species and provides the first account of the reproductive biology of P. rustica in the Adriatic Sea.
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