The impact of conspicuous environmental changes on the spatial and temporal dynamics of Acartia tonsa and Acartia clausi: A decadal study in a temperate estuary (Mondego, Portugal)

Marques, Joana C.; Primo, Ana L.; Falcão, Joana; Martinho, Filipe; MENDES, SUSANA; Azeiteiro, Ulisses M.; Pardal, Miguel A.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/14336

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Authors

Azeiteiro, Ulisses M.

Pardal, Miguel A.

Abstract(s)

This chapter aimed to identify the role of natural environmental factors in the distribution of the congeneric species Acartia tonsa and Acartia clausi in the Mondego estuary, central Iberian Peninsula, over the period 2003-2012. A. tonsa was the dominant species during the study period, representing 84% of the total abundance of Acartia. The distribution patterns of Acartia species revealed a spatial segregation along the estuary, with A. tonsa confined to upstream areas, while A. clausi was restricted downstream Both species showed seasonal variation, peaking during warmer months. Since 2007, A. tonsa exibithed yearly averages consistently above the long-term mean abundance. The results identified a clear effect of temperature warming on the ecosystem, favoring and accelerating the settlement of the non-indigenous species A. tonsa at an unexpectedly rapid rate. STATICO analysis revealed that 2007, 2010 and 2011 were years with strong temporal patterns, which best fitted the compromise analyses between Acartia abundance and environmental parameters. A. tonsa showed an overall positive relationship with temperature, salinity, and total suspended solids (TSS), while A. clausi presented a positive association with chlorophyll a. Local variability of freshwater flow was the dominant signal in the present time-series, and explained the observed dynamics in Acartia populations structure at shorter temporal scales. However, this effect could be masked by larger time-scale phenomena occurring simultaneously, such as a rise in water temperature, leading to a higher abundance of opportunistic tolerant-species, as A. tonsa. These results suggest that copepods living in highly dynamic ecosystems are prone to shifts in community equilibria that show complex, non-linear responses to climatic oscillations.

Keywords

Acartia clausi Acartia tonsa Environmental variability Mondego estuary

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/14336

Citation

Marques S.C., Primo A.L., Falcão J., Martinho F., Mendes S., Azeiteiro U.M., Pardal M.A.,The impact of conspicuous environmental changes on the spatial and temporal dynamics of Acartia tonsa and Acartia clausi: A decadal study in a temperate estuary (Mondego, Portugal) (2018) Trends in Copepod Studies - Distribution, Biology and Ecology, pp. 145 - 171, Cited 7 times. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85044672893&partnerID=40&md5=6c2d5dbb6ec141970a673d46af0c4a92