Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001
| SS36 Dealing With Scales in Aquatic Ecology: Structure and Function in Aquatic Ecosystems (Spatial and Temporal Connections) |
| Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 11:45:00 AM |
| Location: San Miguel |
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| Sieracki, M, E, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, W. Boothbay Harbor, USA, msieracki@bigelow.org |
| Cucci, T, L, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, W. Boothbay Harbor, USA, tcucci@bigelow.org |
| Sieracki, C, S, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, W. Boothbay Harbor, USA, csieracki@bigelow.org |
| Thier, E, C, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, W. Boothbay Harbor, USA, ethier@bigelow.org |
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| Use of phytoplankton size spectra in Gulf of Maine coastal waters over seasonal time scales as an ecosystem index |
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| Size spectra are indicative of successional and trophic status in planktonic ecosystems. Until recently, automated measurement of cell size spectra has been limited by inability to discriminate cells from non-living particles, and the lack of adequate dynamic range to cover the wide size and abundance ranges observed in natural waters. Standard flow cytometers cannot efficiently sample the larger, less abundant cells in the microplankton (20 – 200 um) that often have a large effect on size spectra slopes in coastal marine waters. We used a B-D FACScan flow cytometer to count and measure cells in the picoplankton and nanoplankton (0.5 – 20 um) size ranges. Microplankton were measured using a fluorescence-triggered imaging-in-flow system (FlowCAM) designed and built at Bigelow Laboratory. Continuous monitoring and discrete, semi-weekly sampling was conducted to measure the size distributions and composition of phytoplankton in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA over a seasonal cycle. Discrete samples were analyzed from transects in the Gulf of Maine. Size calibrations for forward light scatter were made using imaging cytometry. Our seasonal results show the changes in the phytoplankton community size spectrum during the spring bloom and the transition into the temperate summer community. Phytoplankton community structure in the Gulf of Maine is related to the hydrographic context. Size spectra slopes provide a quantitative measure of plankton community structure. |
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