Zooplankton and Karenia brevis in the Gulf of Mexico

Authors

Kristen M. Lester, Mitchell College
Cynthia A. Heil, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Mary B. Neely, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Danylle N. Spence, University of South Florida
Susan Murasko, University of South Florida
T. L. Hopkins, University of South Florida
Tracey Sutton, Harbor Branch Oceanographic InstitutionFollow
Scott Burghhart, University of South Florida
Richard N. Bohrer, University of South Florida
Andrew Remsen, University of South Florida
Gabriel A. Vargo, University of South Florida
John J. Walsh, University of South Florida

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2008

Publication Title

Continental Shelf Research

Keywords

Zooplankton, Karenia brevis, Red tides, Algal blooms, ECOHAB

ISSN

0278-4343

Volume

28

Issue/No.

1

First Page

99

Last Page

111

Abstract

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are common in the Gulf of Mexico, yet no in situ studies of zooplankton and K. brevis have been conducted there. Zooplankton abundance and taxonomic composition at non-bloom and K. brevis bloom stations within the Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) study area were compared. At non-bloom stations, the most abundant species of zooplankton were Parvocalanus crassirostris, Oithona colcarva, and Paracalanus quasimodo at the 5-m isobath and P. quasimodo, O. colcarva, and Oikopleura dioica at the 25-m isobath. There was considerable overlap in dominance of zooplankton species between the 5 and 25-m isobaths, with nine species contributing to 90% of abundance at both isobaths. At stations within K. brevis blooms however, Acartia tonsa,Centropages velificatus, Temora turbinata, Evadne tergestina, O. colcarva, O. dioica, and P. crassirostriswere dominant. Variations in abundance between non-bloom and bloom assemblages were evident, including the reduction in abundance of three key species within K. brevis blooms.

Comments

©2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Additional Comments

ECOHAB Florida grant #s: NOAA/ECOHAB NA96P00084, USEPA/ ECOHAB CR826792-01-0; Office of Naval Research grant #s:N000149615024, N000149910212; National Science Foundationgrant #: OCE 0095970

NSUWorks Citation

Kristen M. Lester, Cynthia A. Heil, Mary B. Neely, Danylle N. Spence, Susan Murasko, T. L. Hopkins, Tracey Sutton, Scott Burghhart, Richard N. Bohrer, Andrew Remsen, Gabriel A. Vargo, and John J. Walsh. 2008. Zooplankton and Karenia brevis in the Gulf of Mexico .Continental Shelf Research , (1) : 99 -111. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/506.

ORCID ID

0000-0002-5280-7071

DOI

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2007.04.009