Details:

Journal Title:
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Personal Author:
Chin, T. ; Beecraft, L. ; Wetz, M.S.
Chin, T. ; Beecraft, L. ; Wetz, M.S. Less -
Description:
Because many estuaries worldwide are experiencing large-scale alterations in freshwater inflows due to climatic and human influences on watersheds, it is critical to understand ecosystem-level responses to freshwater inflow conditions and variability. This study compared environmental conditions and phytoplankton biomass/community composition among three Texas estuaries with differing freshwater inflow regimes to understand the impacts of freshwater inflow magnitude on phytoplankton communities. It was hypothesized that: 1) nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass would be highest in San Antonio Bay (SA), the high inflow estuary and lower in Nueces-Corpus Christi Bay (NC) and Baffin Bay (BB) due to lower average inflows, and 2) the phytoplankton community would be dominated by large and/or fast-growing taxa in SA, with a greater fraction of small and/or slow-growing taxa in NC and BB. Highest inorganic nutrient concentrations were generally observed in SA, while high organic nutrient concentrations were found in BB. Chlorophyll a was relatively high in both SA and BB (mean 16.9–18.5 μg L−1) while phytoplankton biovolume was highest in BB. Despite distinct freshwater inflow, salinity and nutrient regimes, differences in phytoplankton community composition were less pronounced. Nano- or microplankton were the dominant size class of phytoplankton in each system, and diatoms were the dominant functional group, accounting for 27–49% of total biovolume on average. There were indications that the phytoplankton community was more diverse in SA, especially following inflow events, providing evidence that inflow may act as a disturbance that leads to greater phytoplankton diversity. Results from this study also showed that while freshwater inflow is important for nutrient delivery, low inflow estuaries such as BB are still susceptible to effects of eutrophication due to long residence times and nutrient retention/recycling. Overall, the differing responses of each of these ecosystems to freshwater inflow highlight the importance of system-specific management plans and consistent monitoring programs in coastal estuaries.
Keywords:
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Chlorophyll Diatoms Estuaries Salinity Aureoumbra Lagunensis Nutrients
Source:
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 277 (2022) 108059
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108059
Format:
PDF
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
Grant no. NA16SEC4810009
Rights Information:
Accepted Manuscript
Compliance:
Submitted
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:1f7662bba9d904ec798d18563024b8806526eb77a1bf41aa0dcb03d9636d31c3
Download URL:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/50421/noaa_50421_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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