Hydrobiologia

, Volume 540, Issue 1–3, pp 127–140 | Cite as

Phytoplankton growth rates in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary (Belgium) estimated using a simple light-limited primary production model

Primary Research Paper

Abstract

During the course of 1996, phytoplankton was monitored in the turbid, freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary. Using a simple light-limited primary production model, phytoplankton growth rates were estimated to evaluate whether phytoplankton could attain net positive growth rates and whether growth rates were high enough for a bloom to develop. Two phytoplankton blooms were observed in the freshwater tidal reaches. The first bloom occurred in March and was mainly situated in the most upstream reaches of the freshwater tidal zone, suggesting that it was imported from the tributary river Schelde. The second bloom occurred in July and August. This summer bloom was situated more downstream in the freshwater tidal reaches and appeared to have developed within the estuary. A comparison between phytoplankton growth rates estimated using a simple primary production model and flushing rate of the water indicated that no net increase in phytoplankton biomass was possible in March while phytoplankton could theoretically increase its biomass by 20% per day during summer. Chlorophyllaconcentrations at all times decreased strongly at salinities between 5–10 psu. This decline was ascribed to a combination of salinity stress and light limitation. Phytoplankton biomass and estimated annual net production were much higher in the freshwater tidal zone compared to the brackish reaches of the estuary (salinity > 10 psu) despite mixing depth to euphotic depth ratio’s being similar. Possible reasons for this high production include high nutrient concentrations, low zooplankton grazing pressure and import of phytoplankton blooms from the tributary rivers.

Keywords

chlorophyll a freshwater tidal estuary phytoplankton production 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Behrenfeld, M. J., Falkowski, P. G. 1997A consumer’s guide to phytoplankton primary productivity modelsLimnology & Oceanography4214791491Google Scholar
  2. Cloern, J. E. 1987Turbidity as a control on phytoplankton biomass and productivity in estuariesContinental Shelf Research513671381CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Cole, B. E., Cloern, J. E. 1987An empirical model for estimating phytoplankton productivity in estuariesMarine Ecology Progress Series36299305Google Scholar
  4. Cole B.E. (1989). Temporal and spatial patterns of phytoplankton production in Tomales Bay, California, USA Estuarine Coastal & Shelf Science 28: 103–115Google Scholar
  5. Cole, J. J., Caraco, N. F., Peierls, B. L. 1992Can phytoplankton maintain a positive carbon balance in a turbid, freshwater, tidal estuary?Limnology & Oceanography3716081617Google Scholar
  6. Grobbelaar, J. U. 1990Modelling phytoplankton productivity in turbid waters with small euphotic to mixing depth ratiosJournal of Plankton Research12923931Google Scholar
  7. Heinbokel, J. F., Coats, D. W., Henderson, K. W., Tyler, M. A. 1988Reproduction rates and secondary production of three species of the rotifer genus Synchaeta in the estuarine Potomac RiverJournal of Plankton Research10659674Google Scholar
  8. Heip, C. 1988Biota and abiotic environments in the Westerschelde estuaryHydrobiological Bulletin223134Google Scholar
  9. Heip, C. H. R., Goosen, N. K., Herman, P. M. J., Kromkamp, J., Middelburg, J. J., Soetaert, K. 1995Production and consumption of biological particles in temperate tidal estuariesOceanography & Marine Biology Annual Review331149Google Scholar
  10. Holst, H., Zimmermann, H., Kausch, H., Koste, W. 1998Temporal and spatial dynamics of planktonic rotifers in the Elbe Estuary during springEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science47261273Google Scholar
  11. Joint, I. R., Pomroy, A. J. 1981Primary production in a turbid estuaryEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science13303316Google Scholar
  12. Kies, L. 1997Distribution, biomass and production of planktonic and benthic algae in the Elbe estuaryLimnologica275564Google Scholar
  13. Kirk, T. O. 1994Light and Photosynthesis in Aquatic EcosystemsCambridge University PressCambridgeGoogle Scholar
  14. Kocum, E., Underwood, G. J. C., Nedwell, D. B. 2002Simultaneous measurement of phytoplanktonic primary production, nutrient and light availability along a turbid, eutrophic UK east coast estuary (the Colne Estuary)Marine Ecology Progress Series231112Google Scholar
  15. Kromkamp, J., Peene, J. 1995On the possibility of net primary production in the turbid Schelde estuary (SW Netherlands)Marine Ecology Progress Series121249259Google Scholar
  16. Lionard, M., Muylaert, K., Gansbeke, D., Vyverman, W. 2005Influence of changes in salinity and light intensity on growth of phytoplankton communities from the Schelde river and estuary (Belgium/The Netherlands)Hydrobiologia540105115Google Scholar
  17. Malone, T. C., Neale, P. J. 1981Parameters of light-dependent photosynthesis for phytoplankton size fractions in temperate estuarine and coastal environmentsMarine Biology61289297CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Malone, T. C. 1977Light-saturated photosynthesis by phytoplankton size-fractions in the New York BightUSA Marine Biology61289297CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Meire, P., Ysebaert, T., Hoffmann, M., Balck, E., Devos, K., Samanya, R., Deregge, N., Waeyenberge, J., Anselin, A., Rossaert, G., Kuijken, E. 1994Ecologisch onderzoek in de Zeeschelde door het Instituut vor Natuurbehoud: onderbouwing van natuurherstel en natuurontwikkelingBiologisch Jaarboek Dodonaea622747Google Scholar
  20. Moon, C., Dunstan, W. M. 1990Hydrodynamic trapping and the formation of the chlorophyll a peak in the turbid, very low salinity waters of estuariesJournal of Plankton Research12323336Google Scholar
  21. Monbet, Y. 1992Control of phytoplankton biomass in estuaries – a comparative analysis of microtidal and macrotidal estuariesEstuaries15563571Google Scholar
  22. Murakami, T., Isaji, C., Kuroda, N., Yoshida, K., Haga, H. 1992Potamoplanktonic diatoms in the Nagara river; flora, populations dynamics and influences on water qualityJapanese Journal of Limnology53112Google Scholar
  23. Muylaert, K., Sabbe, K. 1999Spring phytoplankton assemblages in and around the maximum turbidity zone of the estuaries of the Elbe (Germany), the Schelde (Belgium/the Netherlands) and the Gironde (France)Journal of Marine Systems22133149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Muylaert, K., Kerkvoorde, A., Vyverman, W., Sabbe, K. 1997Structural characteristics of phytoplankton assemblages in tidal and non-tidal freshwater systems: a case-study from the Schelde basinFreshwater Biology38263276CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Muylaert, K., Sabbe, K., Vyverman, W. 2000aSpatial and temporal patterns of phytoplankton communities in a freshwater tidal estuaryEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science50673687Google Scholar
  26. Muylaert, K., Mieghem, R., Sabbe, K., Tackx, M., Vyverman, W. 2000bDynamics and trophic roles of heterotrophic protists in the plankton of a freshwater tidal estuaryHydrobiologia4322536CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Muylaert, K., Wichelen, J., Sabbe, K., Vyverman, W. 2001Short-term phytoplankton dynamics in a freshwater tidal estuaryArchiv für Hydrobiologie150269288Google Scholar
  28. Pace, M. L., Findlay, E. G. S., Lints, D. 1992Zooplankton in advective envrionments: the Hudson River community and a comparitive analysisCanadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences4910601069Google Scholar
  29. Park, G. S., Marshall, H. G. 2000The trophic contributions of rotifers in tidal freshwater and estuarine habitatsEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science51729742Google Scholar
  30. Pennock, J. R. 1985Chlorophyll distributions in the Delaware Estuary: regulation by light-limitationEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science21711725Google Scholar
  31. Raven, J. A. 1984A cost-benefit analysis of photon-absorption by photosynthetic unicellsNew Phytologist98593625Google Scholar
  32. Rothhaupt, K. O. 1990Differences in particle size-dependent feeding efficiencies of closely related rotifer speciesLimnology & Oceanography351623Google Scholar
  33. Salomons, W., Schwedhelm, E., Schoer, J., Knauth, H.-D. 1988Natural tracers to determine the origin of sediments and suspended matter from the Elbe estuaryWater Science & Technology2089102Google Scholar
  34. Schuchardt, B., Schirmer, M. 1991Phytoplankton maxima in the tidal freshwater reaches of two coastal plain estuariesEstuarine Coastal & Shelf Science32187206Google Scholar
  35. Sellner, K. G., Lacouture, R. V., Parrish, C. R. 1988Effects of increasing salinity on a cyanobacterial bloom in the Potomac River estuaryJournal of Plankton Research104961Google Scholar
  36. Soetaert, K., Rijswijk, P. 1993Spatial and temporal patterns of the zooplankton in the Westerschelde estuaryMarine Ecology Progress Series974759Google Scholar
  37. Soetaert, K., Herman, P. M. J., Kromkamp, J. 1994Living in the twilight: estimating net phytoplankton growth in the Westerschelde estuary (The Netherlands) by means of an ecosystem model (MOSES)Journal of Plankton Research1612771301Google Scholar
  38. Tang, E. P. Y., Peters, R. H. 1995The allometry of algal respirationJournal of Plankton Research17303315Google Scholar
  39. Underwood, G. J. C., Kromkamp, J. 1999Primary production by phytoplankton and microphytobenthos in estuariesAdvances in Ecological Research2993153Google Scholar
  40. Van Spaendonk, J. C. M., Kromkamp, J., De Visscher, P. R. M. 1993Primary production of phytoplankton in a turbid coastal plain estuary (The Netherlands)Netherlands Journal of Sea Research31267279CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Walz, N. 1997Rotifer life history strategies and evolution in freshwater plankton communitiesStreit, B.Städler, T.Lively, C. M. eds. Evolutionary Ecology of Freshwater Animals.Birkhäuser VerlagBasel119149Google Scholar
  42. Weger, H. G., Herzig, R., Falkowski, P. G., Turpin, D. H. 1989Respiratory losses in the light in a marine diatom: measurements by short-term mass spectrometryLimnology & Oceanography3411531161Google Scholar
  43. Wolanski, E. 1995Transport of sediment in mangrove swampsHydrobiologia2953142CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Wollast, R. 1989The Scheldt estuarySalomons, W.Bayne, B. L.Duursma, E. K.Förstner, U. eds. Pollution of the North Sea – An AssessmentSpringer VerlagBerlin183193Google Scholar
  45. Wright, S. W., Jeffrey, S. W., Mantoura, R. F. C., Llewellyn, C. A., Bjornland, T., Repeat, D., Welshmeyer, N. 1991Improved HPLC method for the analysis of chlorophylls and carotenoids from marine phytoplanktonMarine Ecology Progress Series77183196Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Section Protistology & Aquatic Ecology, Department of BiologyUniversity of GhentGentBelgium
  2. 2.Laboratoire d’Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes, LEH - FRE 2630 UPS-CNRSUniversité Paul SabatierToulouse Cedex 4France

Personalised recommendations