Changes in nutrient ratios drive changes in pelagic and benthic assemblages, and benthic-pelagic coupling in Puget Sound: A compelling hypothesis linking water quality and the benthos
Presentation Abstract
Analyses of Ecology’s long-term monitoring data indicate that despite abundant nutrients, shifts in nutrient ratios in the surface waters of Puget Sound may be driving changes in the cycling of organic material affecting phytoplankton, micro-zooplankton, and benthic communities. Changes in the nutrient balance can promote opportunistic species that affect the diatom-based food web through competition and grazing on diatom biomass in Puget Sound. Examples include highly visible, large-scale Noctiluca and dinoflagellate blooms and a decline of subsurface chlorophyll a levels. These species shifts in the lower trophic pelagic food web, and a documented wide-spread decline in benthic community and detritivore feeding guild abundances, corroborate a scenario where benthic animals are increasingly deprived of the planktonic food resource that rains down from the upper water column. The long-term continuing change has potential implications for marine food web structure, energy transfer, particle export, and higher trophic levels such as fish. Several lines of independent evidence are presented, supporting an hypothesis that changing water column nutrient ratios may result in shifting composition of both pelagic and benthic communities at lower levels of the Puget Sound food web.
Session Title
Session S-03A: Changes in Salish Sea Water Quality
Conference Track
Marine Water Quality
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Benthos--Ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Food chains (Ecology)--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Seawater--Nitrogen content--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Changes in nutrient ratios drive changes in pelagic and benthic assemblages, and benthic-pelagic coupling in Puget Sound: A compelling hypothesis linking water quality and the benthos
Room 6C
Analyses of Ecology’s long-term monitoring data indicate that despite abundant nutrients, shifts in nutrient ratios in the surface waters of Puget Sound may be driving changes in the cycling of organic material affecting phytoplankton, micro-zooplankton, and benthic communities. Changes in the nutrient balance can promote opportunistic species that affect the diatom-based food web through competition and grazing on diatom biomass in Puget Sound. Examples include highly visible, large-scale Noctiluca and dinoflagellate blooms and a decline of subsurface chlorophyll a levels. These species shifts in the lower trophic pelagic food web, and a documented wide-spread decline in benthic community and detritivore feeding guild abundances, corroborate a scenario where benthic animals are increasingly deprived of the planktonic food resource that rains down from the upper water column. The long-term continuing change has potential implications for marine food web structure, energy transfer, particle export, and higher trophic levels such as fish. Several lines of independent evidence are presented, supporting an hypothesis that changing water column nutrient ratios may result in shifting composition of both pelagic and benthic communities at lower levels of the Puget Sound food web.
