Abstract
This proof-of-concept study integrates the surface currents measured by high-frequency coastal radars with plankton time-series data collected at a fixed sampling point from the Mediterranean Sea (MareChiara Long Term Ecological Research site in the Gulf of Naples) to characterize the spatial origin of phytoplankton assemblages and to scrutinize the processes ruling their dynamics. The phytoplankton community generally originated from the coastal waters whereby species succession was mainly regulated by biological factors (life-cycle processes, species-specific physiological performances and inter-specific interactions). Physical factors, e.g. the alternation between coastal and offshore waters and the horizontal mixing, were also important drivers of phytoplankton dynamics promoting diversity maintenance by i) advecting species from offshore and ii) diluting the resident coastal community so as to dampen resource stripping by dominant species and thereby increase the numerical importance of rarer species. Our observations highlight the resilience of coastal communities, which may favour their persistence over time and the prevalence of successional events over small time and space scales. Although coastal systems may act differently from one another, our findings provide a conceptual framework to address physical–biological interactions occurring in coastal basins, which can be generalised to other areas.
Highlights
Changes in phytoplankton assemblages at a specific site, such as at Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) ones, may be difficult to interpret, because they result from two main, potentially interplaying key factors, namely: physical transport and biological processes, which are classically indicated as ‘allogenic’ and ‘autogenic’ factors, respectively[1,2]
A possible way to overcome these limitations is the integration of the ecological information with that of the surface circulation. The latter may be described with an unprecedented accuracy, resolution and synopticity through land-based remote observations[9], such as those provided by high frequency coastal radars (HFRs)[10]
We explored and discussed the possibility of combining the ecological observations performed at the reference site LTER-MareChiara (LTER-MC) in the Gulf of Naples (GoN; Mediterranean Sea), with the continuous mapping of surface currents by using a CODAR HFR over the same geographic area
Summary
Changes in phytoplankton assemblages at a specific site, such as at Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) ones, may be difficult to interpret, because they result from two main, potentially interplaying key factors, namely: physical transport and biological processes, which are classically indicated as ‘allogenic’ and ‘autogenic’ factors, respectively[1,2]. Determines the local gain and loss of individuals via a myriad of processes, such as cell division and life cycle shifts[3], inter-specific differences in growth rates due to different physiological behaviour[4], as well as positive and negative inter-specific interactions, which result in the succession of species[4] The interplay of these different processes generates potential biases in interpreting the mechanisms underlying the waxing and waning of phytoplankton blooms[5], some of which are toxigenic and, noxious to human health[6]. We explored and discussed the possibility of combining the ecological observations performed at the reference site LTER-MareChiara (LTER-MC) in the Gulf of Naples (GoN; Mediterranean Sea), with the continuous mapping of surface currents by using a CODAR HFR over the same geographic area This proof-of-concept investigation was intentionally focused on a single reference year and aimed at paving the way to more systematic studies on the link between coastal circulation and plankton dynamics. The high resolutions of both physical and ecological observations allowed us to detect short-term changes in species’ abundance and to relate them to either horizontal transport or biological processes intrinsic to the phytoplankton community, in different seasons and phases of coastal circulation
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