Phytoplankton Patchiness Around the Gksu River Estuary (North-Eastern Mediterranean)

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2024-07-29

Author

Tohumcu, Begüm Ece
Uysal, Zahit

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Göksu river estuary was studied seasonally to reveal impact of contrasting water masseswith varying trophicity on the phytoplankton distribution. Samples were collected fromtotal 51 stations representing nutrient-rich Göksu river estuary, productive coastal,mesotrophic shelf and oligotrophic offshore waters. Total number of 246 phytoplanktonspecies belonging to Bacillariophyceae (79 species), Pyrrophyceae (146),Prymnesiophyceae (16), Cryptophyceae, Chrysophycea, Euglenophycea, Ebriophyceaeand Chlorophyceae were identified with a persistent diatom dominancy observedthroughout. Community was found most diverse during spring followed by winter,summer and fall. Summer population abundances exceeded much the winter, spring andlastly fall population densities. Population was always found most species diverse andabundant in shallow coastal areas fed by nutrient-rich freshwater from the Göksu riverand nearby Lamas creek. Maximum population densities were also retained in TaşucuBay receiving direct freshwater inputs from the nearby Göksu river. Significant positivecorrelation between surface phytoplankton abundance and ambient temperature andnegative correlation with surface salinity whereas almost no correlation with any ofnutrient species were observed in fall. In contrast, highly significant positive correlationswere only present with nitrate, nitrite and silicate in winter. Despite a highly significantnegative correlation with salinity, highly significant positive correlations with phosphate,nitrate, nitrite were observed in spring. Lastly, in summer, a highly significant negativecorrelation between phytoplankton abundance and salinity & temperature and asignificant positive correlation with phosphate were observed. Similar to Pielous’ indexvalues, Shannon diversity index values were found maximal during spring followed indecreasing order by fall, winter and summer. Multivariate analyses have displayednumerous patchy aggregations in fall (10 patches), winter (8) and few in spring (2) andsummer (3). Despite the very complex affinities observed within various minor patchesobserved in fall and winter, surface flora has split into two majors, namely coastal -offshore, and east - west subpopulations in spring and summer.

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https://ecology2024.sinop.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/sites/246/2024/07/Ecology-Symposium-2024_Abstracts_Book_Final_V2-4.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/110706

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Graduate School of Marine Sciences, Conference / Seminar