Grazing pressure of mesozooplankton under anthropogenic impact in Ushuaia Bay, Argentina

DIODATO, S. L.; HOFFMEYER, M. S.; BIANCALANA, F.

Berlín

Conferencia; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; 2009

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

Ushuaia Bay (on the Northern coast of Beagle Channel, Argentina) is under incipient ecological damage due to discharges of pollutants (sewage and industrial effluents, hydrocarbons and urban wastes). As coastal zooplankton tolerates environmental stress and responds quickly to anthropogenic changes, it is an excellent indicator of the ecosystem health. Feeding is therefore a key issue in the study of trophic interactions. The purpose of this work was to assess the grazing impact of mesozooplankton in two regions of Ushuaia Bay with different anthropogenic pressure: polluted Coastal Station (CS) and unpolluted External Station (ES), in summer. Grazing experiments were performed using mesozooplankton grazers and natural food