Seasonal and vertical variations of phytoplankton composition in Marine Park of Gökçeada Island in the North Aegean Sea

Yıl 2014, Cilt: 20 Sayı: 3, 200 - 212, 01.12.2014

Aysu Güreşen Yelda Aktan Turan

Öz

Abstract This study was conducted to understand the seasonal and vertical variations in the composition and abundance of phytoplankton assemblages in the Marine Park of Gökçeada Island and to evaluate the relations of phytoplankton community structure with the environmental parameters. Water samples were taken from the water column at surface water, 10 m, 20 m and 28 m depths in Yıldız Bay seasonally between May 2009 and January 2010. A total of 28 species belonging to Bacillariophyceae (61%) and 18 species belonging to Dinophyceae (39%) were identified. Cerataulina pelagica, Cylindroteca closterium, Leptocylindrus minumus from Bacillariophyceae were present in all seasons and reached high individual numbers that these species have a wide ecological tolerance to environmental factors. Prorocentrum micans from Dinophyceae was present throughout the seasons in small numbers. The maximum density of total phytoplankton (67987 cells L⁻¹) was observed in the winter period. Accordingly the water became turbid by mucilage clouds due to the excessive growth of the species known as producing mucilage, Skeletonema costatum, Cylindrotheca closterium and Gonyaulax fragilis. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in the water column was recorded high (50.9) in this period. Lowest diversity and similarity between seasons were recorded in the summer period due to the excessive growth of Proboscia alata from Bacillariophyceae. Consequently it can be assumed that since Yıldız Bay is exposed to touristic activities in summer months, environmental disturbance causes unnecessary growth of opportunistic species and these species reduce the species diversity in the region by pressuring the growth of other species.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Key words: Phytoplankton, Marine Park of Gökçeada, North Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean

Kaynakça

• Aktan, Y., Gümüşoğlu, A. (2010) An other threat on Posidonia oceanica beds: mucilage effect in Gökçeada Island, North Aegean Sea, Turkey. In: Proceedings of the 4th Mediterranean Symposium on Marine Vegetation (Yasmine
• Hammamet, 2-4 December 2010), (eds., S. El Asmi, H. Langar, W. Belgacem) RAC/SPA Publ., Tunis, 251 pp.
• Alkawri, A. A. S., Ramaiah, N. (2010) Spatio-temporal variability of dinoflagellate assemblages in different salinity regimes in the west coast of
• India. Harmful Algae 9 (2): 153-162. Aydın, H., Buyukisik, B. (1994) Nutrient limitation on some phytoplankton species growth in the bay of Izmir. E. U. Science Fac. Journal Series B, 16 (1): 1141- 1149 (in Turkish).
• Balkıs, N. (2003) Seasonal variations in the phytoplankton and nutrient dynamics in the neritic water of Büyükçekmece Bay, Sea of Marmara. Journal of Plankton Research 25: 703-717.
• Balkis, N. (2009) Seasonal variations of microphytoplankton assemblages and environmental variables in the coastal zone of Bozcaada Island in the Aegean
• Sea (NE Mediterranean Sea). Aquatic Ecology 43(2): 249-270. Cupp, E. E. (1943) Marine Plankton Diatoms of the West Coast of North
• America. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 241 pp. Dodge, J.D. (1982) Marine Dinoflagellates of the British Isles. Her Majesty's
• Stationery Office, London, 303 pp. Fısher, T. R., Gustafson, A. B., Sellner, K., Lacourte, R., Hass, L.V., Wetzel, L . R. Magnden, R., Ewerdtt, D., Michaels, B., Karrh, R. (1999) Spatial and temporal variation of resource limitation in Chesapeake Bay. Marine Biology 133: 763-778.
• Godrijan, J., Marić, D., Tomažić, I., Precali, R., Pfannkuchen, M. (2013)
• (Ed., E.T.) NCMR, Athens, pp. 315-330. Graneli, E., Sundstrom, B., Edler, L., Anderson, D.M. (1990) Toxic Marine
• Phytoplankton. Elsevier, New York, 554 pp. Hendey, N. I. (1964) An Introductory Account of the Smaller Algae of British
• Coastal Waters. Part 5, Bacillariophyceae, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London, 317 pp. Ignatiades, L. (1969) Annual cycle, species diversity and succession of phytoplankton in lower Saronicos Bay, Aegean Sea. Mar Biol 3: 196-200.
• Ignatiades, L. (1976) The standing stock of diatoms and dinoflagellates in the oligotrophic waters of Southern Aegean Sea. Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 61: 193- 199.
• Ignatiades, L., Georgopoulos, D., Karydis, M. (1995) Description of the phytoplanktonic community of the oligotrophic waters of the S.E. Aegean Sea
• (Mediterranean). Marine Ecology 16: 13-26. Kocataş, A. (1999) Oceanology, Introdution to Marine Sciences, Ege University
• Faculty of Fisheries Books Series No. 60, Ege University Press Bornova-Izmir, 358pp. Najdek, M., Blazina, M., Djakovac, T. (2005) The role of the diatom
• Cylindrotheca closterium in a mucilage event in the northern Adriatic Sea: coupling with high salinity water intrusions. J Plankton Res 27: 851-862. Pazı, I. (2008) Water mass properties and chemical characteristics in the Saroz
• Gulf, Northeast Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). J. Marine Syst. 74: 698- 7
• Pompei, M., Mazziotti, C., Guerrini, F. (2003) Correlation between the presence of Gonyaulax fragilis (Dinophyceae) and mucilage phenomena of the Emilia
• Romagna coast (northern Adriatic Sea). Harmful Algae 2: 301-316. Reynolds, C. S. (1984) The Ecology of Freshwater Phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, 384 pp.
• Round, F. E. (1973) The Biology of the Algae. Edward Arnold, London, 279 pp.
• Siokou-Frangou, I., Bianchi, M., Christaki, U., Christou, E., Giannakourou, A., Gotsis, O., Ignatiades, L., Pagou, K., Pitta, P., Psarra S., Souvermezoglou, E., Van Wambeke, F., Zervakis, V. (2002) Carbon flow in the planktonic food web along a gradient of oligotrophy in the Aegean Sea (Mediterranean Sea). J.Marine Systems 33(34): 335-353.
• Stevenson, R. J., Bothwell, M. L., Lowe, R. L. (1996) Algal Ecology Freshwater
• Benthic Ecosystems. Aquatic Ecology Series, Academic Press, 753 pp. Taş, S. (2013) Phytoplankton composition and abundance in the coastal waters of the Datça and Bozburun Peninsulas, south-eastern Aegean Sea (Turkey).
• Mediterranean Marine Science 15 (1): 84-94. Tomas, C. R. (1996) Identifying Marine Diatoms and Dinoflagellates. Academic
• Press, Inc. Harcourt Brace & Company, 597 pp. Uçkaç, S. (2005) Sea surface variability in the Aegean Sea. E.U. Journal of
• Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 22: 129–135. Urbani, R., Magaletti, E., Sist, P. (2005) Extracellular carbohydrates released by the marine diatoms Cylindrotheca closterium, Thalassiosira pseudonana and Skeletonema costatum: Effect of P-depletion and growth status. Sci Total Environ 353: 300-306.
• Utermöhl, H. (1958) Zur Vervollkommung der quantitativen Phytoplankton–
• Methodik, Mitt int. Ver. Theor. Angew. Limnologie 9: 1-38. Wetzel, R. G. (1983) Limnology, Second Edition. Saunders College Publishing.