Total and size fractionated phytoplankton biomass off Karatas, north-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Öz

Abstract The biomass of phytoplankton in terms of chlorophyll a was investigated in an Mediterranean coastal area, off Karatas. Data were obtained during four cruises conducted in July 2003, November 2003, February and May 2004. In addition to total chlorophyll a determination, chlorophyll a was fractionated into size classes as: <20 µm and >20 µm fractions. Inorganic nutrients were also determined. Total chlorophyll a values ranged from 0.10 to 7.43 µg l-1. The conributions of the <20 µm and >20 µm fractions to the total chlorophyll a were similar. The proportion of <20 µm fraction to total chlorophyll a ranged between 9% and 96%. On the other hand, the lowest proportion of >20 fraction to total chlorophyll a was 4 %, and the highest one was 91 %. Despite the dominancy of small sizes in the oligotrophic seas such as Mediterranean, the biomass of small size fraction was not higher than large size in the present study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Key words: Chlorophyll a, phytoplankton, size fraction, northeastern Mediterranean.

Kaynakça

1. Arin, L., Anxelu, X., Moran, G., Estrada, M. (2002). Phytoplankton size distribution and growth rates in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean): short term variability related to mesoscale hydrodynamics. J. Plankton Res. 24: 1033.
2. Azov, Y. (1986). Seasonal Pattern of Phytoplankton Productivity and Abundance in Nearshore Oligotrophic Waters of the Levant Basin
3. (Mediterranean), J. Plankton Res. 8: 41-53. Azov, Y.(1991) Eastern Mediterranean-A marine desert ?. Mar. Poll. Bull. : 225-232.
4. Bec, B., Husseini-Ratrema, J., Collos, Y., Souchu, P., Vaguer, A. (2005).
5. Phytoplankton seasonal dynamics in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon emphasis on the picoeucaryote community. J.Plankton Res. 27: 881-894. Berman, T., Azov, Y., Schneller, A., Walline, P., Townsend, D.W.(1986).
6. Extent, transparency and phytoplankton distribution of the neritic waters overlying the Israeli coastal shelf. Oceanologica Acta 9: 439-447. Boney, A.,D.(1989).Phytoplankton. Edward Arnold Publ. London, 118 p.
7. Delgado, M. (1990). Phytoplankton distribution along the Spanish coast of the Alboran Sea. Sci. Mar. 54: 169-178.
8. Delgado, M., Estada, M. (1992).Variability in the size fractionated distribution of the phytoplankton across the Catalan front of the northwest

9. Mediterranean. J.Plankton Res. 14: 753-771. Eker, E. and Kıdeyş, A.E. (2000). Weekly variations in phytoplankton structure of a harbour in Mersin Bay (northeastern Mediterranean). Turk. J. Botany 24:13-24.
10. Harris, G.P. (1986). Phytoplankton Ecology. Chapman and Hall Ltd., London, 384 p.
11. Ignatiades, L., Psarra, S., Zervakis, V., Pagou, K., Souvermezoglou, E., Assimalopoulou, Gotsis-Scretas, O. (2002). Phytoplankton size-based dynamics in the Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). J. Mar. Syst. 36: 11
12. Jasprica, N.,Caric, M.(1997). A comparison of phytoplankton biomass estimators and their environmental correlates in the Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic).P.S.Z.N.I.: Mar. Ecol. 18: 35-50.
13. Jiao, N., Ni, I-H. (1997). Spatial variations of size-fractionated chlorophyll, cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria in the Central and Western Pacific. Hydrobiologia 352: 219-230.
14. Konstantinos, A.K., Garametsi, V., Nicolaidou, A. (2002). Size fractionated phytoplankton chlorophyll in an Eastern Mediterranean coastal system
15. (Maliakos Gulf, Greece). Helgol. Mar. Res. 56: 125-133. Lakkis, S., Lakkis, V.N. (1980). Composition, annual cycle and species diversity of the phytoplankton in Lebanese coastal water. J.Plankton Res. 3: 136.
16. Magazzu, G., Decembrini, F. (1995). Primary production, biomass and abundance of phototrophic picoplankton in the Mediterranean Sea: a review, Aquat. Microb.Ecol. 9: 97-104.
17. Panayotidis, P.,Pancucci, M.A., Balopoulos, E., Gotsis-Scretas, O. (1994).
18. Plankton distribution patterns in a Mediterranean Dilution basin: Amvrakikos Gulf (Ionian Sea, Greece). P.S.Z.N.I.: Mar. Ecol. 15: 93-104. Parsons, T.R., Maita, Y., Lalli, C.M. (1984). A Manual of Chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 173 p.
19. Penna, N., Capellacci, S., Ricci, F. (2003). The influence of the Po River discharge on phytoplankton bloom dynamics along the coastline of Pesaro
20. (Italy) in the Adriatic Sea. Mar. Poll. Bull. 48: 321-326. Polat, S. and Işık, O. (2002). Phytoplankton distribution, diversity and nutrients at the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey (Karataş-Adana). Turk. J. Botany 26: 77-86.
21. Polat, S., Sarıhan, E. and Koray, T. (2000). Seasonal changes in the phytoplankton of the northeastern Mediterranean (Bay of İskenderun). Turk. J. Botany 24: 1-12.
22. Polat, S. (2006). Size fractionated distribution of the phytoplankton biomass in the İskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Fres. Env. Bull. 15: 423.
23. Strickland, J.D.H. and Parsons, T.R. (1972). A Practical Handbook of
24. Seawater Analysis. Bull. Fish Res. Board. Can.,167, Ottawa. Yılmaz, A., Baştürk, Ö., Saydam, C., Ediger, D., Yılmaz, K. and Hatipoğlu, E. (1992). Eutrophication in İskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean.
25. Science for the Total Environment (Special Issue) In: Marine Coastal Eutrophication, (Eds: Vollenweider R.A., Marchetti R., Viviani R.) Elsevier, Amsterdam, 705-717. Yılmaz, A., Salihoğlu, İ., Tuğrul, S., Baştürk, Ö. (1997). Pollution loads from land-based sources of Turkish NE Mediterranean coasts and their impacts on the marine environment, In: Abstract book of the 7th Stocholm
26. Water Symp., 3rd Int. Conf. on the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS): With rivers to the sea: interaction of land activities, freshwater and enclosed coastal seas. August 10-15 1997, Stocholm, pp. 167.