INVESTIGADORES
ALEMANY Daniela
artículos
Título:
Influence of a tidal front on zooplankton abundance, assemblages and life histories in Península Valdés, Argentina
Autor/es:
DERISIO, C.M.; ALEMANY, D.; ACHA, E. M.; MIANZAN, H. W.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MARINE SYSTEMS
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014
ISSN:
0924-7963
Resumen:
The complex biophysical interactions that occur in Península Valdés tidal front offer an
appropriate scenario to study how zooplankton species respond to the environmental setting. In that
sense, we studied why some zooplankton assemblages come to dominate in certain areas, focusing on
the differential use that each life history stage makes on the hydrodynamic regimes. Environmental
data and zooplankton samples were taken across the tidal front, covering well mixed, frontal and
stratified waters. Zooplankton abundance, assemblage structure, specific composition and life histories
were analyzed in relation to depth, temperature, stratification level of the water column and
chlorophyll a. Zooplankton specific composition did not vary across the different zones of the front but,
due to differences in relative abundance, three assemblages were detected in coincidence with the
three zones analyzed. Most zooplankton adult groups and early life stages were related to the
stratification level of the water column. This environmental factor best explained the coupling of the
three different zooplankton assemblages with the three zones of the frontal system. This distributional
pattern was clearly observed in the copepods group. Despite different copepod species prevailed in
different parts of the tidal front, the frontal interface appears to be an important breeding area for all
copepod species. The stratification level would be the main factor responsible for the zooplankton
distributional pattern across the tidal front, although other physical and biological processes, such as
transport, retention and life history strategies could be conditioning the establishment of different
zooplankton populations in this complex frontal system.