[Microzooplankton herbivory during red tide-frequent-occurrence period in spring in the East China Sea].
Five typical stations in the Changjiang River estuary and adjacent waters of the East China Sea, were chosen as the sites to study phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton ingestion by on-deck-incubation dilution experiment from 25th April to 25th May 2002. The results showed that microzooplankton ingestion was a key process for controlling red tide event. Strombidium sulcatum, Noctiluca scintillans and Mesodinium robudium were dominant microzooplankton species. In this study, the ingestion rate of microzooplankton ranged from 0.28 to 1.13 d-1; ingestion pressure on percentage of phytoplankton standing crop ranged from 35.14% to 811.69%; ingestion pressure on percentage of potential production ranged from 74.04% to 203.25%; and ingestion rate of phytoplankton carbon ranged from 9.58 to 97.91 C.L-1.d-1. The microzooplankton grazing rate, ingestion pressure on percentage of phytoplankton standing crop, and ingestion rate of phytoplankton carbon were higher near coastal area, but lower at open sea, and the microzooplankton ingestion pressure on percentage of phytoplankton potential production was no the contrary. Compared with the similar studies around the world, the ingestion pressure of microzooplankton in the East China Sea was at a higher level. The primary deduction was that Strombidium was the key microzooplankton species on controlling Prorocentrum dentatum, the most important red tide species in the East China Sea.
Marine Life Science College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
Jun
J
Sun
Dongyan
D
Liu
Zonglin
Z
Wang
Xiaoyong
X
Shi
Ruixiang
R
Li
Mingyuan
M
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000254:growth & development*; D017753:Ecosystem; D057097:Harmful Algal Bloom; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000254:growth & development*; D045483:Rivers; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000502:physiology*