Temporal changes in pelagic copepod assemblages off Ubatuba, Brazil

The inner shelf waters off Southeastern Brazil are periodically enriched by bottom intrusions of the cold and nutrient‐rich South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), which is transported offshore by the Brazil Current. This study examined the temporal contrasts in abundance and structure of pelagic copep...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology (Berlin, West) West), 2016-08, Vol.37 (4), p.877-890
Main Authors: Melo Júnior, Mauro, Marcolin, Catarina R., Miyashita, Leonardo K., Lopes, Rubens M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Aquatic crustaceans
Biodiversity
Biomass
Coastal waters
Columns (structural)
copepods
Dynamic structural analysis
Dynamics
Hydrography
Marine
Mineral nutrients
multiannual variation
Offshore
Oithona plumifera
Oncaea
Phytoplankton
Plankton
SACW intrusions
Seasonal variations
Seasonality
Southwest Atlantic
Species
Species diversity
Temporal variations
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The inner shelf waters off Southeastern Brazil are periodically enriched by bottom intrusions of the cold and nutrient‐rich South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), which is transported offshore by the Brazil Current. This study examined the temporal contrasts in abundance and structure of pelagic copepod assemblages in a neritic station off Ubatuba, in relation to hydrography and phytoplankton biomass, to investigate the effects of SACW bottom intrusions on copepod population dynamics during three consecutive years. The water‐column characteristics shifted from a well‐mixed, more turbid and phytoplankton‐poor scenario during subsidence conditions to a stratified, less turbid and high Chl‐a concentration scenario during SACW bottom intrusions, leading to increased copepod diversity, abundance, and biomass. The rise in copepod diversity during SACW intrusions was related to the contribution of oceanic species in addition to coastal water species. The copepod community was numerically dominated by small‐sized species, such as Oncaea waldemari, Oithona plumifera, and clausocalanid and paracalanid copepodids, regardless of seasonality and SACW intrusions. Some large calanoid species contributed considerably to the total copepod biomass during intrusions. In addition to confirming that SACW seasonal intrusions play a key role in pelagic processes off Southeast Brazil, this study showed that the multiannual variability of SACW seasonal intrusions is important in regulating the structure and dynamics of copepod communities in this subtropical area.
ISSN:0173-9565
1439-0485
DOI:10.1111/maec.12366