Effects of Sediment Contaminants and Environmental Gradients on Macrobenthic Community Trophic Structure in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries

Estuaries ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven S. Brown ◽  
Gary R. Gaston ◽  
Chet F. Rakocinski ◽  
Richard W. Heard
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Macrobenthic Community ◽  
Sediment Contaminants

Trophic structure of a fish community along environmental gradients of a subtropical river (Paraitinga River, Upper Tietê River Basin, Brazil)

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 598 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Eichbaum Esteves ◽  
Ana Valéria Pinto Lobo ◽  
Marcos Daniel Renó Faria
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Tietê River

Mesozooplankton biomass, grazing and trophic structure in the bluefin tuna spawning area of the oceanic Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R Landry ◽  
Rasmus Swalethorp
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Larval Habitat ◽  
Suspension Feeding ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Mesozooplankton Biomass ◽  
Coastal Margin

Abstract We investigated size-fractioned biomass, isotopes and grazing of mesozooplankton communities in the larval habitat of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico (GoM) during the peak spawning month of May. Euphotic-zone biomass ranged from 101 to 513 mg C m−2 during the day and 216 to 798 mg C m−2 at night. Grazing varied from 0.1 to 1.0 mg Chla m−2 d−1, averaging 1–3% of phytoplankton Chla consumed d−1. Carnivorous taxa dominated the biomass of > 1-mm zooplankton (78% day; 60% night), while only 13% of smaller zooplankton were carnivores. δ15N enrichment between small and large sizes indicates a 0.5–0.6 trophic-step difference. Although characteristics of GoM zooplankton are generally similar to those of remote oligotrophic subtropical regions, zooplankton stocks in the ABT larval habitat are disproportionately high relative to primary production, compared with HOT and BATS averages. Growth-grazing balances for phytoplankton were resolved with a statistically insignificant residual, and trophic fluxes from local productivity were sufficient to satisfy C demand of suspension feeding mesozooplankton. While carnivore C demand was met by local processes in the central GoM, experiments closer to the coastal margin suggest the need for a lateral subsidy of zooplankton biomass to the oceanic region.

scholarly journals Culture-Independent Characterization of Bacterial Communities Associated with the Cold-Water Coral Lophelia pertusa in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 2294-2303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina A. Kellogg ◽  
John T. Lisle ◽  
Julia P. Galkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Study Sites

ABSTRACT Bacteria are recognized as an important part of the total biology of shallow-water corals. Studies of shallow-water corals suggest that associated bacteria may benefit the corals by cycling carbon, fixing nitrogen, chelating iron, and producing antibiotics that protect the coral from other microbes. Cold-water or deep-sea corals have a fundamentally different ecology due to their adaptation to cold, dark, high-pressure environments and as such have novel microbiota. The goal of this study was to characterize the microbial associates of Lophelia pertusa in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. This is the first study to collect the coral samples in individual insulated containers and to preserve coral samples at depth in an effort to minimize thermal shock and evaluate the effects of environmental gradients on the microbial diversity of samples. Molecular analysis of bacterial diversity showed a marked difference between the two study sites, Viosca Knoll 906/862 (VK906/862) and Viosca Knoll 826 (VK826). The bacterial communities from VK826 were dominated by a variety of unknown mycoplasmal members of the Tenericutes and Bacteroidetes, whereas the libraries from VK906/862 were dominated by members of the Proteobacteria. In addition to novel sequences, the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed many bacterial sequences in common between Gulf of Mexico Lophelia corals and Norwegian fjord Lophelia corals, as well as shallow-water corals. Two Lophelia-specific bacterial groups were identified: a cluster of gammaproteobacteria related to sulfide-oxidizing gill symbionts of seep clams and a group of Mycoplasma spp. The presence of these groups in both Gulf and Norwegian Lophelia corals indicates that in spite of the geographic heterogeneity observed in Lophelia-associated bacterial communities, there are Lophelia-specific microbes.

scholarly journals Trophic structure of mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico revealed by gut content and stable isotope analyses

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. e12449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer P. McClain-Counts ◽  
Amanda W. J. Demopoulos ◽  
Steve W. Ross
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Stable Isotope Analyses ◽  
Isotope Analyses

Trophic function in estuaries: response of macrobenthos to natural and contaminant gradients

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary R. Gaston ◽  
Chet F. Rakocinski ◽  
Steven S. Brown ◽  
Carol M. Cleveland
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Sediment Surface ◽  
Shallow Subsurface ◽  
Community Function ◽  
Deposit Feeders

Trophic ecology of macrobenthic communities in estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico was used to infer community function, determine effects of contaminants on macrobenthos, and provide insight into community responses following disturbance. The taxa that numerically dominated the region included few large, deep-burrowing suspension feeders that typify estuaries elsewhere. This pattern is indicative of disturbance, and results in dominance by trophic groups that live near the sediment–water interface (early benthic-community succession). Trophic structure was significantly related to several sediment contaminants (especially metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT), and three environmental gradients (salinity, depth, and sediment silt–clay content). Generally, trophic diversity increased and proportion of subsurface-deposit feeders (SSDF) decreased with salinity, meaning that a more even distribution of trophic structure was found at high-salinity stations. The trophic shift toward dominance by shallow, subsurface-deposit feeders in contaminated habitats may have dire implications for fisheries. Several important commercial and recreational fisheries of the region depend on fish that feed primarily at the sediment surface. Higher proportion of subsurface-deposit feeders, coupled with low macrobenthic density in contaminated sediments, may imply that limited energy is transferred to higher trophic levels.

Macrobenthic community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico one year after the Deepwater Horizon blowout

2017 ◽  
Vol 127 ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis W. Washburn ◽  
Michael G. Reuscher ◽  
Paul A. Montagna ◽  
Cynthia Cooksey ◽  
Jeffrey L. Hyland
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Macrobenthic Community ◽  
Macrobenthic Community Structure ◽  
One Year

scholarly journals Can we infer dredge fishing effort from macrobenthic community structure?

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2121-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Gaspar ◽  
S. Carvalho ◽  
R. Constantino ◽  
J. Tata-Regala ◽  
J. Cúrdia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Macrobenthic Community ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Macrobenthic Communities ◽  
Macrobenthic Community Structure ◽  
Closed Season

Abstract Gaspar, M. B., Carvalho, S., Constantino, R., Tata-Regala, J., Cúrdia, J., and Monteiro, C. C. 2009. Can we infer dredge fishing effort from macrobenthic community structure? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 2121–2132. The effects of commercial fishing effort (FE) on macrobenthic community structure were analysed in geographically related fishing grounds separated into three groups: non-exploited (NE), moderately exploited (ME), and highly exploited (HE). Number of species, abundance, Margalef species richness, and Shannon–Wiener diversity were significantly higher in NE than in exploited areas. The first two were also significantly higher in HE than in ME areas. Measures of taxonomic diversity differed depending on whether annelids, molluscs, and crustaceans were combined or analysed separately. Crustaceans seemed to be the most vulnerable to bivalve dredging because significantly lower values were observed for them in the HE areas than in the ME and NE areas for this group. Although the samples were taken at the end of the closed season, macrobenthic communities still showed differences that may be related to FE, especially in trophic structure. Carnivory was particularly dominant in HE areas. The ratio of carnivory to filter-feeding was significantly correlated with FE, with higher values being observed in HE areas and lower values in NE areas.

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