What Factors Control the Variations in Abundance, Biomass, and Size of Mesozooplankton in a Subtropical Eutrophic Bay?
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What Factors Control the Variations in Abundance, Biomass, and Size of Mesozooplankton in a Subtropical Eutrophic Bay? Ping Du 1,2,3 & Zhi B. Jiang 1,2,3 & Yuan L. Zhu 1,3 & Yan B. Tang 1 & Yi B. Liao 1,3 & Quan Z. Chen 1 & Jiang N. Zeng 1 & Lu Shou 1 Received: 27 October 2019 / Revised: 7 April 2020 / Accepted: 14 April 2020 # Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 2020
Abstract To determine the factors controlling variations in the biomass (B), abundance (A), and mean individual biomass (B/A) of mesozooplankton in a subtropical eutrophic bay, a random forest model was used to analyze the effects of physicochemical factors and phytoplankton biomass, size, and taxonomic composition on the variations in B, A, and B/A of mesozooplankton using 100 samples from all four seasons of 2015 in Xiangshan Bay, China. Variations in the B and A of mesozooplankton were related to both physicochemical and phytoplankton factors, while physicochemical factors were the best predictors of variation in the B/A of mesozooplankton. Phytoplankton biomass was too high to limit mesozooplankton growth, leading to a weak relationship between mesozooplankton and phytoplankton biomasses. The mesozooplankton were sensitive to temperature, and an increase in temperature increased mainly the number of small mesozooplankton. Temperature, suspended solids (SS), and nutrients indirectly affected the A and B/A of mesozooplankton by changing the abundance, size, and species composition of phytoplankton. Size mismatches between phytoplankton and mesozooplankton sometimes occur with changes in the physicochemical environment, which might reduce trophic transfer efficiency in planktonic ecosystems. This study implies that we should pay attention to the impact of warming on the planktonic ecosystem in the context of global warming, especially in subtropical bays with intensive human activity. Keywords Mesozooplankton . Temperature . Nutrients . randomForest model . Xiangshan Bay
Introduction Zooplankton play a pivotal role in marine food webs by transferring carbon fixed by phytoplankton to higher trophic levels. Understanding the temporal and spatial variation in zooplankton is important for understanding the variation in ecosystem Communicated by David G. Kimmel Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00747-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Lu Shou [email protected] 1
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China, No. 36 Baochubei Road, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang, China
2
Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, Shandong, China
3
State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, No. 36 Baochubei Road, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang, China
functioning (Steinberg et al. 2012). The distribution of mesozooplankton is primarily associate
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