Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T15:25:15.423Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Plankton of the central Great Barrier Reef: abundance, production and trophodynamic roles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2010

Yu.I. Sorokin  and
P.Yu. Sorokin
Yu.I. Sorokin*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4067, Queensland, Australia
P.Yu. Sorokin
Affiliation:
Ecology Laboratory in Southern Branch of Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS, Gelendzhik, Russia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: YU.I. Sorokin, Southern Branch of Oceanology Institute, RAS, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar district, 353467Russia email: romas_o@mail.ru
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The abundance, composition and metabolic activity of plankton were assessed in the Tribulation zone of the central Great Barrier Reef (16°–17°S). Wet phytoplankton biomass ranged in shallow reef waters from 30 to 70 mg m−3, and from 60 to 270 mg m−3 in the deep lagoon and in the estuarine areas which are dominated by pico- and nano-algae. Wet bacterioplankton biomass varied from 70 to 290 mg m−3. Wet meroplankton biomass was less than 10 mg m−3. Wet daytime mesozooplankton biomass ranged from 100 to 300 mg m−3 in the deep lagoon. In the estuarine area, it reached 400 to 1300 mg m−3and in the shallow inner lagoon of the Low Isles ring reef it varied from 10 to 30 mg m−3. Zooplankton density increased at night and was 3 to 5 fold greater in the deep lagoon, for about 2 orders of magnitude greater over the reef shallows and up to 3 orders of magnitude greater in mangrove habitats, due to the emergence of demersal components from the benthos. The biomass of zooplankton hidden in the benthic substrates during the day reached 10 to 40 g m−2. Pelagic primary production in the deep lagoon varied between 0.2 and 0.5 g C m−2 d−1. A calculation of the energy balance suggests that the basic energy source for heterotrophic plankton production in the deep lagoon is the organic matter exported from surrounding reef benthic communities and from mangroves. The trophic status of coral reef pelagic ecosystem might range from mesotrophic to eutrophic.

Keywords

reefmicroplanktonbacterioplanktonmesoplanktontrophodynamicsdemersals
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Special Issue 6: In Honour of Sir Frederick Stratten Russell, FRS , September 2010 , pp. 1173 - 1187
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Afrikova, S.G., Lutzarev, S.V. and Petipa, T.S. (1977) Direct estimation of the individual carbon content in zooplankton species. Biology of the Sea, Kiev 42, 44–48. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Alldredge, A.L. and King, J.M. (1977) Distribution and abundance of demersal reef zooplankton at Lizard Island lagoon, the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 41, 317–333.Google Scholar
Atkinson, M.J. and Rigler, R.W. (1992) Effects of water velocity of phosphate uptake in coral reef flat communities. Limnology and Oceanography 37, 273–296.Google Scholar
Barnes, D.J. and Devereux, M.J. (1984) Productivity and calcification on a coral reef. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 79, 213–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brodie, J.E., Furnas, M.J. and Steven, N.D. (1997) Monitoring of chlorophyll in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Proceedings of 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama 1, 797–782.Google Scholar
Caron, D.A. (1983) Technique for enumeration of nanoplankton using epifluorescence microscopy. Limnology and Oceanography 33, 1595–1606.Google Scholar
Crosbie, N.D. and Furnas, M.J. (2001) Abundance, distribution and flow-cytometric characterization of phytoplankton population in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Journal of Plankton Research 23, 809–828.Google Scholar
Crossland, C.J. (1983) Dissolved nutrients in coral reef waters. In Barnes, D. (ed.) Perspectives on coral reefs. Canberra: Brian Clouston /AIMS, pp. 56–66.Google Scholar
Davis, W.P. and Birdsong, P.S. (1973) Coral reef fish foraging in water column. Helgoländer Wissenschaft Meeresunters Untershuchugen 24, 292–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dredge, M.C. (1988) Queensland's near-reefs trawel fisheries. In Southern Pacific Commission Workshop on Pacific Inshore Fishery Researches BP 80, New Caledonia, pp. 1–22.Google Scholar
Ferrier-Pages, C., Leclerq, N., Jaubert, J. and Pelegri, S.P. (1999) Enhancement of pico- and nano-plankton growth by coral exudates. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 21, 203–204.Google Scholar
Furnas, M.J. (1991) Net in situ growth of phytoplankton in oligotrophic tropical shelf ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography 36, 1049–1062.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furnas, M.J. and Mitchell, A. (1990) Phytoplankton biomass and primary production in lagoons of the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 9, 1–10.Google Scholar
Furnas, M.J., Mitchell, A. and Skuza, M. (1997) Shelf scale nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes for central Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of 8th International Coral Reef Symposium Panama 1, 809–814.Google Scholar
Furnas, M.J. and Mitchell, A. (2001) Runoff of terrestrial sediments and nutrients into the Great Barrier Reef area. In Wolanski, E. (ed.) Oceanographic processes on coral reef. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 37–51.Google Scholar
Gaudi, R. (1974) Feeding of planktonic copepods under the experimental conditions. Marine Biology 25, 125–141.Google Scholar
Glynn, P.W. (1973) Caribbean coral reef: plankton community: evidence for depletion. Marine Biology 22, 1–21.Google Scholar
Grese, V.N. (1978) Production of animal populations. In Kinne, O. (ed.) Marine ecology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 89–114.Google Scholar
Hamner, W.M. and Carleton, J.Y. (1979) Copepod swarms in coral ecology. Limnology and Oceanography 26, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamner, W.M., Jones, M.S., Carleton, J.H., Hauri, J.R. and McWilliams, B. (1988) Zooplankton, fish and water currents on windward reef face. Bulletin of Marine Science 42, 459–479.Google Scholar
Hansen, J.A., Alongi, D.M., Moriarty, D. and Pollard, P.C. (1987) The dynamics of microbial communities at Davies Reef, central Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 6, 63–70.Google Scholar
Hansen, J.A., Klumpp, W., Alongi, D.M., Dayton, P.K. and Riddle, M.J. (1992) Detritus deposition, benthic microbial biomass and production on coral reefs. Marine Biology 113, 363–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harmelin-Vivien, M.L. (1981) Trophic relationships of reef fishes on the Tulear reef. Oceanology Acta 4, 365–376.Google Scholar
Hobbie, J.E., Daley, R.J. and Jasper, S. (1977) Use of Nucleopore filters for counting bacteria by epifluorescence microscopy. Applied Environmental Microbiology 33, 1225–1228.Google Scholar
Hobson, E.S. and Chess, J.R. (1978) Trophic relations among fish and plankton in the Enivetok lagoon. Fish Bulletin USA 76, 133–153.Google Scholar
Hodgeson, B.R. (1982) Seasonal variation of zooplankton in coastal and reef waters at Heron I., Great Barrier Reef. Report for Australian Marine Science and Technology Advisory Committee, Canberra, 75 pp.Google Scholar
Jacoby, C.A. and Greenwood, J.G. (1988) Patterns of emergence of zooplankton in the lagoon of Heron reef, GBR, Australia. Marine Biology 97, 309–328.Google Scholar
Karnaukhov, V.N. and Yashin, V.A. (2003) Spectral study of single cells in marine phytoplankton. Biophysics, Moscow 48, 940–949. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Kinsey, D.W. (1983) Standards and performances in coral reef primary production. In Baker, D.J. (ed.) Perspectives on Coral Reefs. Townsville, Queensland: AIMS, pp. 209–218.Google Scholar
Le Borgne, R., Blanchot, J. and Charpy, L. (1989) Zooplankton of the atoll of Tikehau (Tuamotu Archipelago) and its relations with particulate matter. Marine Biology, 102, 341–353.Google Scholar
Liston, P.W., Furnas, M.J., Mitchell, D.W. and Grew, E.A. (1992) Variability of surface water temperature and chlorophyll in the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Continental Shelf Research 12, 907–923.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, N. (1968) Organic aggregates in the vicinity of coral reefs. Marine Biology 2, 50–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKinnon, A.D., Duggan, S. and De'Ath, G. (2005) Mesoplankton dynamics in nearshore waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 63, 497–511.Google Scholar
McWilliam, P.S., Sale, P.F. and Anderson, D.T. (1981) Seasonal changes in resident zooplankton in One Tree lagoon GBR. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 52, 185–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moriarty, D.J.W., Pollard, P.C. and Hunt, W.G. (1985) Productivity by bacteria and microalgae and effect of grazing on a coral reef flat. Marine Biology 85, 293–300.Google Scholar
Panov, D.A. and Sorokin, Yu. I. (1967) Estimation of the threshold food concentration in fish larvae using 14C label. Problems of Ichthyology, Moscow 7, 115–125. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Parsons, T.R., Maita, R. and Lallo, C.M. (1984) A manual of chemical and biological methods for seawater analysis. New York: Pergamon Press, 173 pp.Google Scholar
Pavlova, E.V., Petipa, T.S. and Sorokin, Yu. I. (1971) Role of bacterioplankton in feeding of marine pelagic animals. In Vinogradov, M.E. (ed.). Functioning of pelagic communities in tropical oceanic waters. Moscow: Nauka, pp. 142–152. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Petipa, T.S. (1977) Matter accumulation and energy flows in the ecosystems of Southern Seas. Biology of the Sea, Kiev 42, 3–10. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Petipa, T.S. (1981) Copepod trophodynamics in marine planktonic communities. Naukova Dumka Kiev, 240 pp. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Pichon, M. (1997) Coral reef metabolism in the Indo-Pacific: the broader picture. Proceedings of 8th International Coral Reef Symposium Panama 1, 977–980.Google Scholar
Porter, J.W. and Porter, K.G. (1977) Quantitative sampling of demersal plankton. Limnology and Oceanography 22, 553–556.Google Scholar
Relevante, N., Williams, W.T. and Bunt, J.S. (1982) Distribution of diatoms and Trichodesmium in the Great Barrier Reef waters. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 63, 27–45.Google Scholar
Robertson, A.I., Dixon, P. and Daniel, P.A. (1988) Zooplankton dynamics in mangroves and other near-shore habitats of tropical Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 43, 138–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roman, M., Furnas, M.J. and Mullin, M.M. (1990) Zooplankton abundance and grazing at Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine Biology 105, 73–82.Google Scholar
Russ, G. (1984) A review of coral reef fisheries. UNESCO Bulletin of Marine Science 27, 74–92.Google Scholar
Sale, P.F., McWilliam, P.S. and Anderson, D.T. (1978) Faunal relationships among the near-reef zooplankton at Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 49, 133–145.Google Scholar
Sammarco, P.W. and Crenshaw, H. (1984) Plankton community dynamics of GBR lagoon. Marine Biology 82, 167–180.Google Scholar
Shushkina, E.A. and Vinogradov, M.E. (2002) Catching efficiency of various tools usung for zooplankton sampling in the Black Sea In Zatsepin, A. and Flint, M. (eds) Multi-disciplinary studies in the north-eastern Black Sea. Moscow: Nauka, pp. 458–468. [In Russian.]Google Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. (1990) Plankton. In Dubinski, Z (ed.) Coral reefs. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 291–324.Google Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. (1992) Phosphorus metabolism in coral reef communities: exchange between water column and bottom. Hydrobiologia 242, 105–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. (1993) Coral reef ecology. Heidelberg: Springer, 465 pp.Google Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. (1994) Role of plankton in the turnover of organic matter on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Hydrobiologia 308, 35–44.Google Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. (1999) Radioisotopic methods in hydrobiology. Heidelberg: Springer, 323 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorokin, Yu. I. and Paveljeva, E.B. (1972) On the quantitative characteristics of the pelagic ecosystem of Dalnee Lake (Kamchatka). Hydrobiologia 40, 519–552.Google Scholar
Torreton, J.P., Pages, J. and Tolbo, V. (2002) Relationships between bacterioplankton and phytoplankton biomass and production in the Tuamotu atoll lagoon. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 28, 267–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Venier, J. and Pauly, D. (1997) Trophic dynamics of Florida Keys Reef Ecosystem. Proceedings of 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama 1, 915–920.Google Scholar
Williams, D. and Hatcher, A.I. (1983) Structure of fish communities on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Ecology Progress Series 10, 239–250.Google Scholar
Zaika, V.E. (1973) Specific production in aquatic animals. London: John Wiley & Sons, 170 pp.Google Scholar
Zsolnay, J. (1975) Total organic carbon in the Baltic Sea as estimated by BOD. Marine Biology 29, 125–128.Google Scholar