Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions

IntroductionBivalve aquaculture has direct and indirect effects on plankton communities, which are highly sensitive to short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term climate changes, although how these dynamics alter aquaculture ecosystem interactions is poorly understood. MethodsWe investigate se...

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Main Authors: Hannah Sharpe, Daria Gallardi, Helen Gurney-Smith, Thomas Guyondet, Christopher W. McKindsey, Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-09-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1448718/full
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author Hannah Sharpe
Daria Gallardi
Helen Gurney-Smith
Thomas Guyondet
Christopher W. McKindsey
Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel
author_facet Hannah Sharpe
Daria Gallardi
Helen Gurney-Smith
Thomas Guyondet
Christopher W. McKindsey
Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel
author_sort Hannah Sharpe
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionBivalve aquaculture has direct and indirect effects on plankton communities, which are highly sensitive to short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term climate changes, although how these dynamics alter aquaculture ecosystem interactions is poorly understood. MethodsWe investigate seasonal patterns in plankton abundance and community structure spanning several size fractions from 0.2 µm up to 5 mm, in a deep aquaculture embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada.ResultsUsing flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging, we observed a clear seasonal relationship between fraction sizes driven by water column stratification (freshwater input, nutrient availability, light availability, water temperature). Plankton abundance decreased proportionally with increasing size fraction, aligning with size spectra theory. Within the bay, greater mesozooplankton abundance, and a greater relative abundance of copepods, was observed closest to the aquaculture lease. No significant spatial effect was observed for phytoplankton composition. DiscussionWhile the months of August to October showed statistically similar plankton composition and size distribution slopes (i.e., food chain efficiency) and could be used for interannual variability comparisons of plankton composition, sampling for longer periods could capture long-term phenological shifts in plankton abundance and composition. Conclusions provide guidance on optimal sampling to monitor and assess aquaculture pathways of effects.
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spelling doaj-art-4fa72229eb584e458d928a8938912c5e2025-08-20T01:55:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452024-09-011110.3389/fmars.2024.14487181448718Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactionsHannah Sharpe0Daria Gallardi1Helen Gurney-Smith2Thomas Guyondet3Christopher W. McKindsey4Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel5St. Andrews Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, NB, CanadaNorthwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John’s, NL, CanadaSt. Andrews Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, NB, CanadaGulf Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Moncton, NB, CanadaMaurice-Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Mont-Joli, QC, CanadaSt. Andrews Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, NB, CanadaIntroductionBivalve aquaculture has direct and indirect effects on plankton communities, which are highly sensitive to short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term climate changes, although how these dynamics alter aquaculture ecosystem interactions is poorly understood. MethodsWe investigate seasonal patterns in plankton abundance and community structure spanning several size fractions from 0.2 µm up to 5 mm, in a deep aquaculture embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada.ResultsUsing flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging, we observed a clear seasonal relationship between fraction sizes driven by water column stratification (freshwater input, nutrient availability, light availability, water temperature). Plankton abundance decreased proportionally with increasing size fraction, aligning with size spectra theory. Within the bay, greater mesozooplankton abundance, and a greater relative abundance of copepods, was observed closest to the aquaculture lease. No significant spatial effect was observed for phytoplankton composition. DiscussionWhile the months of August to October showed statistically similar plankton composition and size distribution slopes (i.e., food chain efficiency) and could be used for interannual variability comparisons of plankton composition, sampling for longer periods could capture long-term phenological shifts in plankton abundance and composition. Conclusions provide guidance on optimal sampling to monitor and assess aquaculture pathways of effects.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1448718/fullphytoplanktonzooplanktonshellfishflow cytometryFlowCam imagingsize distribution
spellingShingle Hannah Sharpe
Daria Gallardi
Helen Gurney-Smith
Thomas Guyondet
Christopher W. McKindsey
Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel
Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
Frontiers in Marine Science
phytoplankton
zooplankton
shellfish
flow cytometry
FlowCam imaging
size distribution
title Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
title_full Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
title_fullStr Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
title_full_unstemmed Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
title_short Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
title_sort ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions
topic phytoplankton
zooplankton
shellfish
flow cytometry
FlowCam imaging
size distribution
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1448718/full
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