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The plankton of Richards Bay

The plankton of Richards Bay A study of the plankton of the estuary system of Richards Bay in South Africa has been carried out by the plankton research group at the Port Elizabeth Museum. This study in conjunction with other ecological studies provide an environmental survey of the site of the Richards Bay Harbour now under construction. 2. Future studies will follow the changes that occur in the harbour and the new estuary being dredged for a nature reserve in the southern half of the bay. 3. Two different plankton communities are involved. In the channel area near the mouth a predominantly neritic marine plankton is found. In the lagoon area further up a true estuarine plankton occurs dominated by the CopepodaPseudodiaptomus andAcartia. 4. While species diversity is significantly higher in the channel area, the biomass of zooplankton is significantly higher in the lake area (up to 344 mg/m3). 5. A preliminary assessment of nett secondary zooplankton production gave a maximum value of 12 mg (dry wt)/m3/day. 6. The pattern of distribution of zooplankton found in this study was found to bear very little relation to the distribution of the physical and chemical parameters conventionally investigated such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and various nutrients. Tidal exchange appears to be the single most important factor controlling the distribution of zooplankton in Richards Bay. The estuarine zooplankton only survives beyond a point where the rate of tidal replacement is not too great. This boundary and areas of concentration appears to persist irrespective of the other environmental conditions prevailing. Variations in population structure indicate how tidal replacement and vertical migration affect their survival and productivity. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Aquatic Ecology Springer Journals

The plankton of Richards Bay

Aquatic Ecology , Volume 8 (2) – Nov 3, 2005

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References (6)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright
Subject
Life Sciences; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Ecosystems
ISSN
1386-2588
eISSN
1573-5125
DOI
10.1007/BF02254920
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

A study of the plankton of the estuary system of Richards Bay in South Africa has been carried out by the plankton research group at the Port Elizabeth Museum. This study in conjunction with other ecological studies provide an environmental survey of the site of the Richards Bay Harbour now under construction. 2. Future studies will follow the changes that occur in the harbour and the new estuary being dredged for a nature reserve in the southern half of the bay. 3. Two different plankton communities are involved. In the channel area near the mouth a predominantly neritic marine plankton is found. In the lagoon area further up a true estuarine plankton occurs dominated by the CopepodaPseudodiaptomus andAcartia. 4. While species diversity is significantly higher in the channel area, the biomass of zooplankton is significantly higher in the lake area (up to 344 mg/m3). 5. A preliminary assessment of nett secondary zooplankton production gave a maximum value of 12 mg (dry wt)/m3/day. 6. The pattern of distribution of zooplankton found in this study was found to bear very little relation to the distribution of the physical and chemical parameters conventionally investigated such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and various nutrients. Tidal exchange appears to be the single most important factor controlling the distribution of zooplankton in Richards Bay. The estuarine zooplankton only survives beyond a point where the rate of tidal replacement is not too great. This boundary and areas of concentration appears to persist irrespective of the other environmental conditions prevailing. Variations in population structure indicate how tidal replacement and vertical migration affect their survival and productivity.

Journal

Aquatic EcologySpringer Journals

Published: Nov 3, 2005

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