Short-term and seasonal variability of mesozooplankton at two coastal stations (Gdynia, Sopot) in the shallow water zone of the Gulf of Gdansk
Jozefcuk, A.; Guzera, E.; Bielecka, L. (2003). Short-term and seasonal variability of mesozooplankton at two coastal stations (Gdynia, Sopot) in the shallow water zone of the Gulf of Gdansk. Oceanologia 45(1): 317-336 In: Oceanologia: Quarterly journal of basic research in marine sciences with emphasis on European seas. Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology: Wroclaw; Gdansk. ISSN 0078-3234; e-ISSN 2300-7370, more |   |
| Authors | | Top | - Jozefcuk, A., more
- Guzera, E.
- Bielecka, L., more
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| Abstract | The idea of the study was to describe short-term and seasonal variations in thecomposition and abundance of zooplankton in the coastal area of the Gulf ofGdańsk at two shore stations and the influence of selected environmental factors(temperature, salinity, wind velocity) on it. The studies were based on materialcollected in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk from stations located by theMarine Promenade (Bulwar Nadmorski) in Gdynia and the pier in Sopot. Sampleswere collected in 2001 mainly at weekly intervals using an open-type plankton net.Environmental parameters were measured at the same time. The zooplankton atthe Gdynia and Sopot stations consisted of 30 taxa; Rotatoria, Copepoda andmeroplankton were dominants. There was a much higher percentage of Rotatoriaand a lower percentage of meroplankton at Sopot than at Gdynia. Considerabledifferences were apparent in the numbers of particular groups of zooplankton atthese stations in the same periods. Simpson’s biodiversity index, here based onthe zooplankton of the shallow waters off Gdynia and Sopot, was relatively highmost of the time. Diversity of mesozooplankton was greatest in July and October.There was a significant correlation between the abundance of mesozooplankton andenvironmental factors in the case of cladoceran and polychaete larvae. Frequentstudies at stations located close to each other illustrate the highly dynamic range ofvariations occurring in the coastal area: the concentrations of particular organismsfluctuated very considerably from one week to another, even by a factor of severaldozen. Nevertheless, the statistically mean numbers of zooplankton at both stationsare comparable. |
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