Skip Navigation



JPR Advance Access published online on February 5, 2008
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbn020
This Article
Right arrow Advance Access manuscript (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wetz, M. S.
Right arrow Articles by Paerl, H. W.
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Wetz, M. S.
Right arrow Articles by Paerl, H. W.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

"Impact of large storm events with different meteorological characteristics on estuarine ciliate biomass"

Michael S. Wetza,b,* and Hans W. Paerla

a The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences 3431 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 U.S.A b Environmental Sciences Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. EPA Mailroom E243-05 Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

* Corresponding author Phone: 252-726-6841 x. 176 Fax: 252-726-2426 Email: wetz{at}email.unc.edu (Wetz), hpaerl{at}email.unc.edu (Paerl)

Received on November 27, 2007; revised on January 28, 2008; accepted on January 2, 2008


  Abstract

Microzooplankton are important consumers of phytoplankton production in estuaries and are links to higher trophic levels. We examined the impact of several large storms varying in their meteorological characteristics on the distribution of ciliates, a key component of the microzooplankton community in North Carolina's Neuse R. Estuary (NRE). Ciliate biomass was largely unaffected by Tropical Storm ("TS") Helene, except for dissipation of a patch of elevated ciliate biomass at a frontal zone in the upper estuary. Following passage of Hurricane ("H") Isabel, mean ciliate biomass increased 2-fold, with the most dramatic increases occurring in the upstream region that was influenced by freshwater runoff. H Alex had minimal impact on ciliate biomass, but shortly after its passage, Tropical Depression Bonnie and TS Charley passed over the region with significant rainfall. Ten days after passage of those storms, ciliate biomass increased throughout the NRE, with the most dramatic increases again seen in the upper freshwater-influenced region of the estuary. Overall, these findings suggest that the response of estuarine ciliates to storm events is complex, although some coherent patterns were detected in terms of the overall biomass response. Given that storms represent important drivers of ecological processes in estuaries and that the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are in a period of elevated storm activity, further work is warranted to fully understand the impact of storms on trophic transfer in estuaries.

Key Words: Ciliates • Microzooplankton • Estuary • Storms • Phytoplankton

Corresponding Editor: Dr Roger Harris


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.