Abstract
We assessed the spatial variability in the size structure of phytoplankton, community composition, primary production and carbon fluxes through the planktonic food web of the Gulf of Gabès (GG; Southeastern Mediterranean Sea) in the fall of 2017 during the MERMEX-MERITE cruise. High concentrations in nutrients, chlorophyll a (~ 2–6 µg L−1) and primary production (1816–3674 mg C m−2 d−1) revealed an eutrophic status of the studied stations in the GG. In accordance with hydrodynamic features, inorganic nutrients showed increases in concentrations from North to South and from coast to offshore, these nutrient gradients impacting the spatial distribution of phytoplankton community. Size-fractioned phytoplankton biomass and production were the lowest in the northernmost zone where they were mainly sustained by pico-sized fraction. Concomitantly, in this area, small aloricate ciliates were dominant leading to a high microbivory. Conversely, higher biomass and production were measured towards the South and offshore with prevalence of larger phytoplankton (nano- and/or micro-sized fractions) supported by diatoms. The herbivorous protozooplankton and metazooplankton were more abundant in these zones, resulting in an increase of the herbivory. The vertical particulate organic carbon flux followed also a north–south and coast-offshore increasing gradient, with a higher contribution of phytoplankton, and zooplankton fecal pellets to the sinking organic matter in the southernmost area. Our results suggest that even in nutrient-rich and highly productive waters, a continuum of trophic pathways, ranging from microbial to multivorous and herbivorous food webs, may exist, which implies different efficiencies in carbon export and carrying capacity within the ecosystem.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Abdennadher J, Boukthir M (2006) Numerical simulation of the barotropic tides in the Tunisian Shelf and the Strait of Sicily. J Mar Syst 63:162–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2006.07.001
Aberle N, Lengfellner K, Sommer U (2007) Spring bloom succession, grazing impact and herbivore selectivity of ciliate communities in response to winter warming. Oecologia 150:668–681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0540-y
Allen JI, Somerfield PJ, Siddorn J (2002) Primary and bacterial production in the Mediterranean Sea: a modelling study. J Mar Syst 33–34:473–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-7963(02)00072-6
Ayata S-D, Irisson J-O, Aubert A, Berline L, Dutay JC, Mayot N, Nieblas AE, D’Ortenzio F, Palmiéri J, Reygondeau G, Rossi V, Guieu C (2018) Regionalisation of the Mediterranean basin, a MERMEX synthesis. Prog Oceanogr 163:7–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.09.016
Bec B, Ratréma Husseini J, Collos Y, Souchu P, Vaquer A (2005) Phytoplankton seasonal dynamics in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: Emphasis on the picoeukaryote community. J Plankton Res 27:881–894. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbi061
Béjaoui B, Ben Ismail S, Othmani A, Ben Abdallah-Ben Hadj Hamida O, Chevalier C, Feki-Sahnoun W, Harzallah A, Ben Hadj Hamida N, Bouaziz R, Dahech S, Diaz F, Tounsi K, Sammari C, Pagano M, Bel Hassen M (2019) Synthesis review of the Gulf of Gabes (eastern Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia): Morphological, climatic, physical oceanographic, biogeochemical and fisheries features. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 219:395–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.01.006
Béjaoui B, Raïs S, Koutitonsky V (2004) Modélisation de la dispersion du phosphogypse dans le golfe de Gabès. Bull Inst Natn Scien Tech Mer De Salammbô 31:113–119
Bel Hassen M, Drira Z, Hamza A, Ayadi H, Akrout F, Issaoui H (2008) Summer phytoplankton pigments and community composition related to water mass properties in the Gulf of Gabes. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 77:645–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2007.10.027
Bel Hassen M, Hamza A, Drira Z, Zouari A, Akrout F, Messaoudi S, Aleya L, Ayadi H (2009) Phytoplankton-pigment signatures and their relationship to spring–summer stratification in the Gulf of Gabes. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 83:296–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2009.04.002
Ben Ismail S, Sammari C, Pietro Gasparini G, Beranger K, Brahim M, Aleya L (2012) Water masses exchanged through the channel of sicily: evidence for the presence of new water masses on the Tunisian side of the channel. Deep Sea Res Pt I 63:65–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2011.12.009
Ben Ismail S, Sammari C, Béranger K (2015) Surface Circulation Features along the Tunisian Coast: Central Mediterranean Sea. In: 26th IUGG General Assembly, Prague, Czech Republic, 22 Jun–2 Jul
Ben Lamine Y, Pringault O, Aissi M, Ensibi C, Mahmoudi E, Kefi ODY, Yahia MND (2015) Environmental controlling factors of copepod communities in the Gulf of Tunis (south western Mediterranean Sea). Cah Biol Mar 56:213–229
Ben Ltaief T, Drira Z, Devenon JL, Hamza A, Ayadi H, Pagano M (2017) How could thermal stratification affect horizontal distribution of depth-integrated metazooplankton communities in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia)? Mar Biol Res 13:269–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2016.1248847
Ben Ltaief T, Drira Z, Hannachi I, Bel Hassen M, Hamza A, Pagano M, Ayadi H (2015) What are the factors leading to the success of small planktonic copepods in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia? J Mar Biol Assoc UK 95:747–761. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315414001507
Berglund J, Müren U, Båmstedt U, Andersson A (2007) Efficiency of a phytoplankton-based and a bacterial-based food web in a pelagic marine system. Limnol Oceanogr 52:121–131. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2007.52.1.0121
Berggreen U, Hansen B, Kiørboe T (1988) Food size spectra, ingestion and growth of the copepodAcartia tonsa during development: implications for determination of copepod production. Mar Biol 99:341–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02112126
Boudriga I, Thyssen M, Zouari A, Garcia N, Tedetti M, Bel Hassen M (2022) Ultraphytoplankton community structure in subsurface waters along a North-South Mediterranean transect. Mar Pollut Bull 182:113977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113977
Boukthir M, Jaber IB, Chevalier C, Abdennadher J (2019) A high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). In: 42nd CIESM Congress, Cascais, Portugal, 7–11 Oct
Boutrup PV, Moestrup Ø, Tillmann U, Daugbjerg N (2016) Katodinium glaucum (Dinophyceae) revisited: proposal of new genus, family and order based on ultrastructure and phylogeny. Phycologia 55:147–164. https://doi.org/10.2216/15-138.1
Braak T (1986) Canonical correspondence analysis: a new eigenvector technique for multivariate direct gradient analysis. Ecology 67:1167–1179. https://doi.org/10.2307/1938672
Calbet A, Landry MR (2004) Phytoplankton growth, microzooplankton grazing, and carbon cycling in marine systems. Limnol Oceanogr 49:51–57. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2004.49.1.0051
Calbet A, Landry MR, Scheinberg RD (2000) Copepod grazing in a subtropical bay: species-specific responses to a midsummer increase in nanoplankton standing stock. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 193:75–84. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps193075
Calbet A, Trepat I, Almeda R, Saló V, Saiz E, Movilla JI, Alcaraz M, Simó YLR (2008) Impact of micro- and nanograzers on phytoplankton assessed by standard and size-fractionated dilution grazing experiments. Aquat Microb Ecol 50:145–156. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01171
Callieri C, Stockner JG (2002) Freshwater autotrophic picoplankton: a review. J Limnol 61:1–14. https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2002.1
Caroppo C, Stabili L, Aresta M, Corinaldesi C, Danovaro R (2006) Impact of heavy metals and PCBs on marine picoplankton. Environ Toxicol 21:541–551. https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.20215
Caroppo C, Roselli L, Di Leo A (2018) Hydrological conditions and phytoplankton community in the Lesina lagoon (Southern Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean). Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:1784–1799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0599-5
Casotti R, Landolfi A, Brunet C, D’Ortenzio F, Mangoni O, Ribera d’Alcalà M, Denis M (2003) Composition and dynamics of the phytoplankton of the Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean). J Geophys Res Oceans 108:8116. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JC001541
Cerino F, Bernardi Aubry F, Coppola J, La Ferla R, Maimone G, Socal G, Totti C (2012) Spatial and temporal variability of pico-, nano- and microphytoplankton in the offshore waters of the southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Cont Shelf Res 44:94–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2011.06.006
Cermeño P, Marañón E, Pérez V, Serret P, Fernández E, Castroc CG (2006) Phytoplankton size structure and primary production in a highly dynamic coastal ecosystem (Ría de Vigo, NW-Spain): seasonal and short-time scale variability. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 67:251–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2005.11.027
Chen D, Guo C, Yu L, Lu Y, Sun J (2020) Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the central and northern South China Sea in the spring intermonsoon season of 2017. Acta Oceanol Sin 39:84–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-020-1593-1
Christaki U, Van Wambeke F, Lefevre D, Lagaria A, Prieur L, Pujo-Pay M, Grattepanche JD, Colombet J, Psarra S, Dolan JR, Sime-Ngando T, Conan P, Weinbauer MG, Moutin T (2011) Microbial food webs and metabolic state across oligotrophic waters of the Mediterranean Sea during summer. Biogeosciences 8:1839–1852. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-1839-2011
Cibic T, Cerino F, Karuza A, Fornasaro D, Comici C, Cabrini M (2018) Structural and functional response of phytoplankton to reduced river inputs and anomalous physical-chemical conditions in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea). Sci Total Environ 636:838–853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.205
Ciglenečki I, Vilibić I, Dautović J, Vojvodić V, Ćosović B, Zemunik P, Mihanović H (2020) Dissolved organic carbon and surface active substances in the northern Adriatic Sea: long-term trends, variability and drivers. Sci Total Environ 730:139104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139104
Corradino GL, Schnetzer A (2022) Grazing of a heterotrophic nanoflagellate on prokaryote and eukaryote prey: ingestion rates and gross growth efficiency. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 682:65–77. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13921
Courboulès J, Vidussi F, Soulié T, Mas S, Pecqueur D, Mostajir B (2021) Effects of experimental warming on small phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses in autumn in the Mediterranean coastal Thau Lagoon. Aquat Ecol 55:647–666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-021-09852-7
D’Alcalà MR, Conversano F, Corato F, Licandro P, Mangoni O, Marino D, Mazzocchi MG, Modigh M, Montresor M, Nardella M, Saggiomo V, Sarno D, Zingone A (2004) Seasonal patterns in plankton communities in a pluriannual time series at a coastal Mediterranean site (Gulf of Naples): an attempt to discern recurrences and trends. Sci Mar 68:65–83. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2004.68s165
D’Alelio D, Russo L, Del Gaizo G, Caputi L (2022) Plankton under pressure: how water conditions alter the Phytoplankton-Zooplankton link in coastal lagoons. Water 14:974. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14060974
Dam HG, Peterson WT (1988) The effect of temperature on the gut clearance rate constant of planktonic copepods. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 123:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(88)90105-0
Decembrini F, Caroppo C, Azzaro M (2009) Size structure and production of phytoplankton community and carbon pathways channelling in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Deep Sea Res Pt II 56:687–699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.07.022
Decembrini F, Caroppo C, Bergamasco A (2020) Influence of lateral advection on phytoplankton size-structure and composition in a Mediterranean coastal area. Cont Shelf Res 209:104216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2020.104216
Decembrini F, Caroppo C, Caruso G, Bergamasco A (2021) Linking microbial functioning and trophic pathways to ecological status in a coastal Mediterranean Ecosystem. Water 13:1325. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091325
Dokulil MT, Qian K (2021) Photosynthesis, carbon acquisition and primary productivity of phytoplankton: a review dedicated to Colin Reynolds. Hydrobiologia 848:77–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04321-y
Dolan JR, Pierce RW, Yang EJ, Kim SY (2012) Southern ocean biogeography of Tintinnid Ciliates of the Marine Plankton. J Eukaryot Microbiol 59:511–519. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.2012.00646.x
Dong Y, Li QP, Wu Z, Shuai Y, Liu Z, Ge Z, Zhou W, Chen Y (2021) Biophysical controls on seasonal changes in the structure, growth, and grazing of the size-fractionated phytoplankton community in the northern South China Sea. Biogeosciences 18:6423–6434. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6423-2021
Dopheide A, Lear G, Stott R, Lewis G (2011) Preferential feeding by the ciliates Chilodonella and Tetrahymena spp. and effects of these protozoa on bacterial biofilm structure and composition. Appl Environ Microbiol 77:4564–4572. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02421-10
Drira Z, Hamza A, Belhassen M, Ayadi H, Bouaïn A, Aleya L (2008) Dynamics of dinoflagellates and environmental factors during the summer in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia, Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Sci Mar 72:59–71. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2008.72n159
Drira Z, Hassen MB, Hamza A, Rebai A, Bouain A, Ayadi H, Aleya L (2009) Spatial and temporal variations of microphytoplankton composition related to hydrographic conditions in the Gulf of Gabès. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 89:1559–1569. https://doi.org/10.1017/S002531540900023X
Drira Z, Bel Hassen M, Ayadi H, Aleya L (2014) What factors drive copepod community distribution in the Gulf of Gabes, Eastern Mediterranean Sea? Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:2918–2934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2250-4
Drira Z, Chaari D, Hamza A, Hassen MB, Pagano M, Ayadi H (2017) Diazotrophic cyanobacteria signatures and their relationship to hydrographic conditions in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 97:69–80. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315415002210
Drira Z, Kmiha-Megdiche S, Sahnoun H, Hammami A, Allouche N, Tedetti M, Ayadi H (2016) Assessment of anthropogenic inputs in the surface waters of the southern coastal area of Sfax during spring (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea). Mar Pollut Bull 104:355–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.01.035
Du Yoo Y, Jeong HJ, Kim MS, Kang NS, Song JY, Shin W, Lee K (2009) Feeding by phototrophic red-tide dinoflagellates on the ubiquitous marine diatom skeletonema costatum. J Eukaryot Microbiol 56:413–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.2009.00421.x
Duarte CM, Agustí S, Agawin NSR (2000) Response of a Mediterranean phytoplankton community to increased nutrient inputs: a mesocosm experiment. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 195:61–70. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps195061
El Kateb A, Stalder C, Rüggeberg A, Neururer C, Spangenberg JE, Spezzaferri S (2018) Impact of industrial phosphate waste discharge on the marine environment in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). PLoS ONE 13(5):e0197731. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197731
Estrada M, Varela RA, Salat J, Cruzado A, Arias E (1999) Spatio-temporal variability of the winter phytoplankton distribution across the Catalan and North Balearic fronts (NW Mediterranean). J Plankton Res 21:1–20. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/21.1.1
Feki-Sahnoun W, Hamza A, Njah H, Barrajd N, Mahfoudia M, Rebaie A, Bel Hassen M (2017) A Bayesian network approach to determine environmental factors controlling Karenia selliformis occurrences and blooms in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. Harmful Algae 63:119–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2017.01.013
Ferland J, Gosselin M, Starr M (2011) Environmental control of summer primary production in the Hudson Bay system: the role of stratification. J Mar Syst 88:385–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.03.015
Gaudy R, Youssara F, Diaz F, Raimbault P (2003) Biomass, metabolism and nutrition of zooplankton in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). Oceanol Acta 26(4):357–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0399-1784(03)00016-1
Geyer NL, Huettel M, Wetz MS (2018) Phytoplankton spatial variability in the river-dominated estuary, Apalachicola Bay, Florida. Estuar Coast 41(7):2024–2038. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-018-0402-y
Giannakourou A, Tsiola A, Kanellopoulou M, Magiopoulos I, Siokou I, Pitta P (2014) Temporal variability of the microbial food web (viruses to ciliates) under the influence of the Black Sea water inflow (N. Aegean, E. Mediterranean). Mediterr Mar Sci 15:769–780. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.1041
Girault M, Arakawa H, Hashihama F (2013) Phosphorus stress of microphytoplankton community in the western subtropical North Pacific. J Plankton Res 35(1):146–157. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbs076
Grami B, Niquil N, Sakka Hlaili A, Gosselin M, Hamel D, Hadj Mabrouk H (2008) The plankton food web of the Bizerte Lagoon (South-western Mediterranean): II. Carbon steady-state modelling using inverse analysis. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 79:101–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2008.03.009
Grattepanche JD, Vincent D, Breton E, Christaki U (2011) Microzooplankton herbivory during the diatom–Phaeocystis spring succession in the eastern english channel. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 404:87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2011.04.004
Grinienė E, Šulčius S, Kuosa H (2016) Size-selective microzooplankton grazing on the phytoplankton in the Curonian Lagoon (SE Baltic Sea). Oceanologia 58:292–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceano.2016.05.002
Gueroun SM, Molinero JC, Piraino S, Dali Yahia MN (2020) Population dynamics and predatory impact of the alien jellyfish Aurelia solida (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) in the Bizerte Lagoon (southwestern Mediterranean Sea). Mediterr Mar Sci 21:22–35. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.17358
Halouani G, Abdou K, Hattab T, Romdhane MS, LasramLoc’h FBRLeL (2016) A spatio-temporal ecosystem model to simulate fishing management plans: a case of study in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). Mar Policy 69:62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.04.002
Hamdi I, Denis M, Bellaaj-Zouari A, Khemakhem H, Bel Hassen M, Hamza A, Barani A, Bezac C, Maalej S (2015) The characterisation and summer distribution of ultraphytoplankton in the Gulf of Gabès (Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia) by using flow cytometry. Cont Shelf Res 93:27–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2014.10.002
Hannachi I, Drira Z, Belhassen M, Hamza A, Ayadi H, Bouain A, Aleya L (2008) Abundance and biomass of the ciliate community during a spring cruise in the Gulf of Gabes (Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia). Acta Protozool 47:293–305
Hargraves PE (2002) The ebridian flagellates Ebria and Hermesinum. Plank Biol Ecol 49(1):9–16
Hattour MJ, Sammari C, Ben Nassrallah S (2010) Hydrodynamique du golfe de Gabès déduite à partir des observations de courants et de niveaux. Rev Paralia 3:3.1–3.12. https://doi.org/10.5150/revue-paralia.2010.003
He X, Wang Z, Bai Z, Han L, Chen M (2021) Diel feeding rhythm and grazing selectivity of small-sized copepods in a subtropical embayment, the Northern South China Sea. Front Mar Sci 8:611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.658664
Hillebrand H, Dürselen CD, Kirschtel D, Pollingher U, Zohary T (1999) Biovolume calculation for pelagic and benthic microalgae. J Phycol 35:403–424. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.3520403.x
Horn HG, Boersma M, Garzke J, Sommer U, Aberle N (2020) High CO2 and warming affect microzooplankton food web dynamics in a Baltic Sea summer plankton community. Mar Biol 167:69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03683-0
Irigoien X (1998) Gut clearance rate constant, temperature and initial gut contents: a review. J Plankton Res 20:997–1003. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/20.5.997
Jafari F, Ramezanpour Z, Sattari M (2015) First record of Ebria tripartita (Schumann) Lemmermann, 1899 from south of the Caspian Sea. Casp J Environ Sci 13:283–288
Jeong HJ, Yoo YD, Kang NS, Rho JR, Seong KA, Park JW, Yih W (2010) Ecology of Gymnodinium aureolum. I. Feeding in western Korean waters. Aquat Microb Ecol 59:239–255. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01394
Jyothibabu R, Vinayachandran PN, Madhu NV, Robinc RS, Karnan C, Jagadeesan L, Anjusha A (2015) Phytoplankton size structure in the southern Bay of Bengal modified by the summer monsoon current and associated eddies: implications on the vertical biogenic flux. J Mar Sys 143:98–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.10.018
Kase L, Metfies K, Kraberg AC, Neuhaus S, Meunier CL, Wiltshire KH, Boersma M (2021) Metabarcoding analysis suggests that flexible food web interactions in the eukaryotic plankton community are more common than specific predator–prey relationships at Helgoland Roads, North Sea. ICES J Mar Sci 78:3372–3386. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab058
Katechakis A, Stibor H, Sommer U, Hansen T (2004) Feeding selectivities and food niche separation of Acartia clausi, Penilia avirostris (Crustacea) and Doliolum denticulatum (Thaliacea) in Blanes Bay (Catalan Sea, NW Mediterranean). J Plankton Res 26:589–603. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbh062
Kchaou N, Elloumi J, Drira Z, Hamza A, Ayadi H, Bouain A, Aleya L (2009) Distribution of ciliates in relation to environmental factors along the coastline of the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 83:414–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2009.04.019
Khammeri Y, Hamza IS, Zouari AB, Hamza A, Sahli E, Akrout F, Hassen MB (2018) Atmospheric bulk deposition of dissolved nitrogen, phosphorus and silicate in the Gulf of Gabès (South Ionian Basin); implications for marine heterotrophic prokaryotes and ultraphytoplankton; implications for marine heterotrophic prokaryotes and ultraphytoplankton. Cont Shelf Res 159:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2018.03.003
Khammeri Y, Bellaaj-Zouari A, Hamza A, Medhioub W, Sahli E, Akrout F, Barraj N, Ben Kacem MY, Bel Hassen M (2020) Ultraphytoplankton community composition in Southwestern and Eastern Mediterranean Basin: relationships to water mass properties and nutrients. J Sea Res 158:101875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2020.101875
Khedhri I, Lavesque N, Bonifácio P, Djabou H, Afli A (2014) First record of Naineris setosa (Verrill, 1900) (Annelida: Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) in the Western Mediterranean Sea. BioInvasions Rec 3:83–88. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2014.3.2.05
Kleppel GS, Pieper RE (1984) Phytoplankton pigments in the gut concents of planktonic copepods from coastal waters off southern California. Mar Biol 78:193–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394700
Kojima D, Hamao Y, Amei K, Fukai Y, Matsuno K, Mitani Y, Yamaguchi A (2022) Vertical distribution, standing stocks, and taxonomic accounts of the entire plankton community, and the estimation of vertical material flux via faecal pellets in the southern Okhotsk Sea. Deep Sea Res Pt I 185:103771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103771
Kovač Ž, Platt T, Ninčević Gladan Ž, Morović M, Sathyendranath S, Raitsos DE, Veža J (2018) A 55-year time series station for primary production in the Adriatic Sea: Data correction, extraction of photosynthesis parameters and regime shifts. Remote Sens 10:1460. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10091460
Landry MR, Hassett RP (1982) Estimating the grazing impact of marine micro-zooplankton. Mar Biol 67:283–288. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397668
Landry MR, Swalethorp R (2021) Mesozooplankton biomass, grazing and trophic structure in the bluefin tuna spawning area of the oceanic Gulf of Mexico. J Plankton Res 44:fbab008. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbab008
Laurenceau-Cornec EC, Trull TW, Davies DM, Bray SG, Doran J, Planchon F, Carlotti F, Jouandet MP, Cavagna AJ, Waite AM, Blain S (2015) The relative importance of phytoplankton aggregates and zooplankton fecal pellets to carbon export: insights from free-drifting sediment trap deployments in naturally iron-fertilised waters near the Kerguelen Plateau. Biogeosciences 12:1007–1027. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1007-2015
Leblanc K, Quéguiner B, Diaz F, Cornet V, Michel-Rodriguez M, Durrieu de Madron X, Bowler C, Malviya S, Thyssen M, Grégori G, Rembauville M, Grosso O, Poulain J, de Vargas C, Pujo-Pay M, Conan P (2018) Nanoplanktonic diatoms are globally overlooked but play a role in spring blooms and carbon export. Nat Commun 9:953. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03376-9
Legendre L, Fèvre Le (1989) Hydrodynamical singularities as controls of recycled versus export production in oceans. In: Berger WH, Smetacek VS, Wefer G (eds) Product ocean present pasts. John Wiley and sons Limited, Dahlem, pp 49–63
Legendre L, Rassoulzadegan F (1995) Plankton and nutrient dynamics in marine waters. Ophelia 41:153–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/00785236.1995.10422042
Legendre L, Rassoulzadegan F (1996) Food-web mediated export of biogenic carbon in oceans:hydrodynamic control. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 145:179–193. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps145179
Leruste A, Pasqualini V, Garrido M, Malet N, De Wit R, Bec B (2019) Physiological and behavioral responses of phytoplankton communities to nutrient availability in a disturbed Mediterranean coastal lagoon. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 219:176–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.02.014
Li Q, Edwards KF, Schvarcz CR, Steward GF (2022) Broad phylogenetic and functional diversity among mixotrophic consumers of Prochlorococcus. ISME J 16:1557–1569. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01204-z
Liu Q, Chai F, Dugdale R, Chao Y, Xue H, Rao S, Zhang Y (2018) San Francisco Bay nutrients and plankton dynamics as simulated by a coupled hydrodynamic-ecosystem model. Cont Shelf Res 161:29–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2018.03.008
Livanou E, Lagaria A, Santi I, Mandalakis M, Pavlidou A, Lika K, Psarra S (2019) Pigmented and heterotrophic nanoflagellates: abundance and grazing on prokaryotic picoplankton in the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Deep Sea Res Pt II 164:100–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.04.007
Lund C, Le KiplingCren ED (1958) The inverted microscope method of estimating algal numbers and the statistical basis of estimations by counting. Hydrobiologia 11:143–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007865
Makhlouf Belkahia N, Pagano M, Chevalier C, Devenon JL, Yahia MND (2021) Zooplankton abundance and community structure driven by tidal currents in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Boughrara, Tunisia, SW Mediterranean Sea). Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 250:107101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2020.107101
Mansano AS, Hisatugo KF, Hayashi LH, Regali-Seleghim MH (2014) The importance of protozoan bacterivory in a subtropical environment (Lobo-Broa Reservoir, SP, Brazil). Braz J Biol 74:569–578. https://doi.org/10.1590/bjb.2014.0081
Mansouri B, Gzam M, Souid F, Telahigue F, Chahlaoui A, Ouarrak K, Kharroubi A (2020) Assessment of heavy metal contamination in Gulf of Gabès coastland (southeastern Tunisia): impact of chemical industries and drift currents. Arab J Geosci 13:1180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-06163-3
Margalef R (1978) Life-forms of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment. Ocean Acta 1:493–509
Marques F, Chainho P, Costa JL, Domingos I, Angélico MM (2015) Abundance, seasonal patterns and diet of the non-native jellyfish Blackfordia virginica in a Portuguese estuary. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 167:212–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2015.07.024
Marquis E, Niquil N, Delmas D, Hartmann HJ, Bonnet D, Carlotti F, Dupuy C (2007) Inverse analysis of the planktonic food web dynamics related to phytoplankton bloom development on the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay, French coast. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 73:223–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2007.01.003
Martin-Cereceda M, Novarino G, Young JR (2003) Grazing by prymnesium parvum on small planktonic diatoms. Aquat Microb Ecol 33:191–199. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame033191
Masclaux H, Tortajada S, Philippine O, Robin FX, Dupuy C (2015) Planktonic food web structure and dynamic in freshwater marshes after a lock closing in early spring. Aquat Sci 77:115–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-014-0376-1
Mauchline J (1998) The biology of calanoid copepods. Advances in marine biology, vol 33. Academic Press, US, p 710
Mayot N, D’Ortenzio F, Taillandier V, Prieur L, De Fommervault OP, Claustre H, Conan P (2017) Physical and biogeochemical controls of the phytoplankton blooms in North Western Mediterranean Sea: a multiplatform approach over a complete annual cycle (2012–2013 DEWEX experiment). J Geophys Res Oceans 122:9999–10019. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC012052
Mayot N, Nival P, Levy M (2020) Primary Production in the Ligurian Sea. In: Migon C, Nival P, Sciandra A (eds) The Mediterranean Sea in the era of global change 1: 30 years of multidisciplinary study of the Ligurian Sea. Wiley, New York, pp 139–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119706960.ch6
Meddeb M, Grami B, Chaalali A, Haraldsson H, Niquil N, Pringault O, Sakka Hlaili A (2018) Plankton food-web functioning in anthropogenically impacted coastal waters (SW Mediterranean Sea): an ecological network analysis. Prog Oceanogr 162:66–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2018.02.013
Meddeb M, Niquil N, Grami B, Mejri K, Haraldsson M, Chaalali A, Sakka Hlaili A (2019) A new type of plankton food web functioning in coastal waters revealed by coupling Monte Carlo Markov chain linear inverse method and ecological network analysis. Ecol Indic 104:67–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.04.077
MedECC (2020) Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin – Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report. Union for Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, France, p 632 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4768833
Menden-Deuer S, Lessard EJ (2000) Carbon to volume relationships for dinoflagellates, diatoms, and other protist plankton. Limnol Oceanogr 45:569–579. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2000.45.3.0569
Moigis AG, Gocke K (2003) Primary production of phytoplankton estimated by means of the dilution method in coastal waters. J Plankton Res 25:10. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbg089
Morales CE, Harris RP, Head RN, Tranter PRG (1993) Copepod grazing in the oceanic northeast Atlantic during a 6 week drifting station: the contribution of size classes and vertical migrants. J Plankton Res 15:185–212. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/15.2.185
Moran XAG, Estrada M (2001) Short-term variability of photosynthetic parameters and particulate and dissolved primary production in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 212:53–67. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps212053
Morsy A, Ebeid M, Soliman A, Halim AA, Ali AE, Fahmy M (2022) Evaluation of the water quality and the eutrophication risk in Mediterranean sea area: a case study of the port said harbour. Egypt. Environ Chall 7:100484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2022.100484
Negrete-García G, Luo JY, Long MC, Lindsay K, Levy M, Barton AD (2022) Plankton energy flows using a global size-structured and trait-based model. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.01.478546
Olson MB, Strom SL (2002) Phytoplankton growth, microzooplankton herbivory and community structure in the southeast Bering Sea: insight into the formation and temporal persistence of an Emiliania huxleyi bloom. Deep Sea Res Pt II 49:5969–5990. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(02)00329-6
Othmani A, Béjaoui B, Chevalier C, Elhmaidi D, Devenon JL, Aleya L (2017) High-resolution numerical modelling of the barotropic tides in the Gulf of Gabes, Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Tunisia). J Afr Earth Sci 129:224–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.01.007
Paklar GB, Vilibić I, Grbec B, Matić F, Mihanović H, Džoić T, Kušpilić G (2020) Record-breaking salinities in the middle Adriatic during summer 2017 and concurrent changes in the microbial food web. Prog Oceanogr 185:102345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102345
Parsons TR, Harrison PJ, Acreman JC, Dovey HM, Thompson PA, Lalli CM, Xiaolin C (1984) An experimental marine ecosystem response to crude oil and corexit 9527: Part 2—biological effects. Mar Environ Res 13(4):265–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-1136(84)90033-3
Pecqueur D, Courboulès J, Roques C, Mas S, Pete R, Vidussi F, Mostajir B (2022) Simultaneous study of the growth and grazing mortality rates of microbial food web components in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. Diversity 14(3):186. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030186
Peters F, Arin L, Marrasé C, Berdalet E, Sala MM (2006) Effects of small-scale turbulence on the growth of two diatoms of different size in a phosphorus-limited medium. J Mar Syst 61:134–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2005.11.012
Psarra S, Zohary T, Krom MD, Mantoura RFC, Polychronaki T, Stambler N, Thingstad TF (2005) Phytoplankton response to a Lagrangian phosphate addition in the Levantine Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Deep Sea Res Pt II 52:2944–2960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2005.08.015
Putt M, Stoecker DK (1989) An experimentally determined carbon : volume ratio for marine “oligotrichous” ciliates from estuarine and coastal waters. Limnol Oceanogr 34:1097–1103. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1989.34.6.1097
Raimbault P, Garcia N, Cerutti F (2008) Distribution of inorganic and organic nutrients in the South Pacific Ocean − evidence for long-term accumulation of organic matter in nitrogen-depleted waters. Biogeosciences 5:281–298. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-5-281-2008
Rassoulzadegan F, Laval-Peuto M, Sheldon RW (1988) Partitioning of the food ration of marine ciliates between pico- and nanoplankton. Hydrobiologia 159(1):75–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007369
Raveh O, David N, Rilov G, Rahav E (2015) The Temporal dynamics of coastal phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. PLoS ONE 10:e0140690. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140690
Rekik A, Denis M, Maalej S, Ayadi H (2015) Spatial and seasonal variability of pico-, nano- and microphytoplankton at the bottom seawater in the north coast of Sfax, Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:15961–15975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4811-1
Rekik A, Kmiha-Megdiche S, Drira Z, Pagano M, Ayadi H, Zouari AB, Elloumi J (2021) Spatial variations of planktonic ciliates, predator-prey interactions and their environmental drivers in the Gulf of Gabes-Boughrara lagoon system. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 254:107315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107315
Riccardi N (2010) Selectivity of plankton nets over mesozooplankton taxa: implications for abundance, biomass and diversity estimation. J Limnol 69:287. https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2010.287
Ross ON, Fraysse M, Pinazo C, Pairaud I (2016) Impact of an intrusion by the Northern current on the biogeochemistry in the eastern Gulf of Lion, NW Mediterranean. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 170:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2015.12.022
Saiz E, Rodriguez V, Alcaraz M (1992) Spatial distribution and feeding rates of Centropages typicus in relation to frontal hydrographic structures in the Catalan Sea (Western Mediterranean). Mar Biol 112:49–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349727
Sakka A, Legendre L, Gosselin M, Delesalle B (2000) Structure of the oligotrophic planktonic food web under low grazing of heterotrophic bacteria: Takapoto Atoll, French Polynesia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 197:1–17
Sakka Hlaili A, Grami B, Hadj Mabrouk H, Gosselin M, Hamel D (2007) Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates in a restricted Mediterranean lagoon (Bizerte Lagoon, Tunisia). Mar Biol 151:767–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0522-y
Sakka Hlaili A, Grami B, Niquil N, Gosselin M, Hamel D, Troussellier M, Mabrouk H (2008) The planktonic food web of the Bizerte lagoon (south-western Mediterranean) during summer: I. Spatial distribution under different anthropogenic pressures. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 78:61–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2007.11.010
Sakka Hlaili AS, Niquil N, Legendre L (2014) Planktonic food webs revisited: reanalysis of results from the linear inverse approach. Prog Oceanogr 120:216–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2013.09.003
Salgado-Hernanz PM, Racault M-F, Font-Muñoz JS, Basterretxea G (2019) Trends in phytoplankton phenology in the Mediterranean Sea based on ocean-colour remote sensing. Remote Sens Environ 221:50–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.10.036
Sammari C, Koutitonsky VG, Moussa M (2006) Sea level variability and tidal resonance in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. Cont Shelf Res 26:338–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.11.006
Sautour B, Artigas LF, Delmas D, Herbland A, Laborde P (2000) Grazing impact of micro- and mesozooplankton during a spring situation in coastal waters off the Gironde estuary. J Plankton Res 22:531–552. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/22.3.531
Seong KA, Jeong HJ, Kim S, Kim GH, Kang JH (2006) Bacterivory by co-occurring red-tide algae, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, and ciliates. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 322:85–97. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps322085
Sherr EB, Sherr BF (1993) Preservation and Storage of Samples for Enumeration of Heterotrophic Protists. In: Kemp PF, Cole JJ, Sherr BF, Sherr EB (eds) Handbook of Methods in Aquatic Microbial Ecology. CRC Press, pp 207–212
Sherr EB, Sherr BF (2007) Heterotrophic dinoflagellates: a significant component of microzooplankton biomass and major grazers of diatoms in the sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 352:187–197. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07161
Shinada A, Ikeda T, Ban S, Tsuda A (2000) Seasonal changes in micro-zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton assemblages in the Oyashio region. Plankton Biol Ecol 47(2):85–92
Siokou-Frangou I, Christaki U, Mazzocchi MG, Montresor M, Ribera d’Alcalá M, Vaqué D, Zingone A (2010) Plankton in the open Mediterranean Sea: a review. Biogeosciences 7:1543–1586. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-1543-2010
Slaughter AM, Bollens SM, Bollens GR (2006) Grazing impact of mesozooplankton in an upwelling region off northern California, 2000–2003. Deep Sea Res Pt II 53:3099–3115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.07.005
Smith VH, Joye SB, Howarth RW (2006) Eutrophication of freshwater and marine ecosystems. Limnol Oceanogr 51:351–355. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2006.51.1_part_2.0351
Šolić M, Krstulović N, Kušpilić G, Ninčević Gladan Ž, Bojanić N, Šestanović S, Šantić D, Ordulj M (2010) Changes in microbial food web structure in response to changed environmental trophic status: a case study of the Vranjic Basin (Adriatic Sea). Mar Environ Res 70:239–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2010.05.007
Stibor H, Stockenreiter M, Nejstgaard JC, Ptacnik R, Sommer U (2019) Trophic switches in pelagic systems. Curr Opin Syst Biol 13:108–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coisb.2018.11.006
Tanaka T, Zohary T, Krom MD, Law CS, Pitta P, Psarra S, Rassoulzadegan F, Thingstad TF, Tselepides A, Woodward EMS, Flaten GAF, Skjoldal EF, Zodiatis G (2007) Microbial community structure and function in the Levantine Basin of the eastern Mediterranean. Deep Sea Research Pt I 54(10):1721–1743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2007.06.008
Totti C, Cangini M, Ferrari C, Kraus R, Pompei M, Pugnetti A, Romagnoli T, Vanucci S, Socal G (2005) Phytoplankton size-distribution and community structure in relation to mucilage occurrence in the northern Adriatic Sea. Sci Total Environ 353:204–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.028
Trombetta T, Vidussi F, Roques C, Mas S, Scotti M, Mostajir B (2021) Co-occurrence networks reveal the central role of temperature in structuring the plankton community of the Thau Lagoon. Sci Rep 11:17675. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97173-y
Trombetta T, Bouget F-Y, Félix C, Mostajir B, Vidussi F (2022) Microbial diversity in a North Western Mediterranean Sea shallow coastal lagoon under contrasting water temperature conditions. Front Mar Sci 9:858744. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.858744
Tseng LC, Kumar R, Dahms HU, Chen QC, Hwang JS (2008) Copepod gut contents, ingestion rates, and feeding impacts in relation to their size structure in the Southeastern Taiwan strait. Zool Stud 47(4):402–416
Utermöhl (1931) Neue Wege in der quantitativen Erfassung des Plankton.(Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Ultraplanktons.) SIL Proceedings 5:567–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/03680770.1931.11898492
Vargas CA, González HE (2004) Plankton community structure and carbon cycling in a coastal upwelling system. II. Microheterotrophic pathway. Aquat Microb Ecol 34:165–180. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame034165
Vargas CA, Martínez RA, Cuevas LA, Pavez MA, Cartes C, Gonzalez HE, Escribano R, Daneri G (2007) The relative importance of microbial and classical food webs in a highly productive coastal upwelling area. Limnol Oceanogr 52:1495–1510. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2007.52.4.1495
Varkitzi I, Psarra S, Assimakopoulou G, Pavlidou A, Krasakopoulou E, Velaoras D, Papathanassiou E, Pagou K (2020) Phytoplankton dynamics and bloom formation in the oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean: field studies in the Aegean, Levantine and Ionian seas. Deep Sea Res Pt II 171:104662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.104662
Vascotto I, Mozetič P, Francé J (2021) Phytoplankton time-series in a LTER Site of the Adriatic Sea: methodological approach to decipher community structure and indicative taxa. Water 13:2045. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13152045
Verity PG, Robertson CY, Tronzo CR, Andrews MG, Nelson JR, Sieracki ME (1992) Relationships between cell volume and the carbon and nitrogen content of marine photosynthetic nanoplankton. Limnol Oceanogr 37:1434–1446. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1992.37.7.1434
Vidussi F, Marty J-C, Chiavérini J (2000) Phytoplankton pigment variations during the transition from spring bloom to oligotrophy in the northwestern Mediterranean sea. Deep Sea Res Pt I 47:423–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0637(99)00097-7
Viñas MD, Negri RM, Cepeda GD, Hernández D, Silva R, Daponte MC, Capitanio FL (2013) Seasonal succession of zooplankton in coastal waters of the Argentine Sea (Southwest Atlantic Ocean): prevalence of classical or microbial food webs. Mar Biol Res 9:371–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2012.745003
Ward BA, Dutkiewicz S, Jahn O, Follows MJ (2012) A size-structured food-web model for the global ocean. Limnol Oceanogr 57:1877–1891. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2012.57.6.1877
Wickham SA, Wenta P, Sinner A, Weiss R (2022) Microzooplankton grazing and community composition in a high-productivity marine ecosystem. J Plankton Res 44:414–426. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbac015
Xiang Y, Lam PJ, Burd AB, Hayes CT (2022) Estimating mass flux from size-fractionated filtered particles: insights into controls on sinking velocities and mass fluxes in recent U.S. GEOTRACES cruises. Glob Biogeochem Cy 36:e2021GB007292. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GB007292
Yang J, Hu W, Tan Y, Warren A, Lin X, Li J (2019) Combined effects of food resources and exposure to ammonium nitrogen on population growth performance in the bacterivorous ciliate Paramecium caudatum. Eur J Protistol 71:125631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejop.2019.125631
Yang J, Löder MGJ, Wiltshire KH, Montagnes DJ (2022) Comparing the trophic impact of microzooplankton during the spring and autumn blooms in temperate waters. Estuar Coast 44(1):189–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00775-4
Zayen A, Sayadi S, Chevalier C, Boukthir M, Ismail SB, Tedetti M (2020) Microplastics in surface waters of the gulf of gabes, southern Mediterranean Sea: distribution, composition and influence of hydrodynamics. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 242:106832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106832
Zhang S, Liu H, Ke Y, Li B (2017) Effect of the silica content of diatoms on protozoan grazing. Front Mar Sci 4:202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00202
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the CNRS-INSU MISTRALS MERMEX-MERITE project and the IRD Franco-Tunisian International Joint Laboratory (LMI) “COSYS-Med”. We thank the “Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer” (INSTM) for their logistic support. We express our gratitude to C. Sammari for his valuable support during the sampling program of the MERMEX-MERITE GABES cruise. We would like to thank P. Raimbault, N. Garcia, and the Plateforme Analytique de Chimie des Environnements Marins (PACEM platform) of the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) for POC analyses. The English grammar and syntax of the manuscript have been revised by Proofreader and translator Ms Annie Buchwalter. We thank three anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions and comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Chkili, O., Meddeb, M., Mejri Kousri, K. et al. Influence of Nutrient Gradient on Phytoplankton Size Structure, Primary Production and Carbon Transfer Pathway in a Highly Productive Area (SE Mediterranean). Ocean Sci. J. 58, 6 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12601-023-00101-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12601-023-00101-6