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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Diet Composition Of Zooplankton In Mission Bay, Bryanna Paulson
Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Diet Composition Of Zooplankton In Mission Bay, Bryanna Paulson
Theses
Analyses of quantitative data on zooplankton diets are vital for understanding the drivers of zooplankton abundance within an ecosystem. Such analyses also provide insight into trophic pathways within the lower planktonic food web, which support populations of higher trophic level species. This study used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of size-fractionated plankton in Mission Bay, San Diego, CA to examine the spatial and temporal variation in zooplankton trophic ecology and determine potential environmental drivers of zooplankton community structure. Carbon stable isotopes reflect primary production sources in an organism’s diet, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios can be used to estimate …
Copepod Distribution In Relation To Environmental Parameters On Diel And Tidal Time Scales In Mission Bay, San Diego, California, Joy Renee Shapiro
Copepod Distribution In Relation To Environmental Parameters On Diel And Tidal Time Scales In Mission Bay, San Diego, California, Joy Renee Shapiro
Theses
The vertical distribution of copepods in estuaries is known to vary in relation to environmental factors. However, the relationships between environmental conditions (e.g., tides, hydrography) and copepod distributions are not well understood. This project examined connections between environmental parameters and copepod distribution in Mission Bay, San Diego, California. Copepods (adults, juveniles, and nauplii) were collected every two hours over a diel cycle at three sites across the bay. A plankton pump was used to draw ~2 m3 of water from each of two depths - just below the surface and just above the bottom. Copepods were retained in a …