Abstract
AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 21:191-204 (2014) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00588 Impact of atypical ammonium concentrations on phytoplankton abundance and composition in fresh versus estuarine waters Mary Lou Esparza1,*, Ann E. Farrell1, Douglas J. Craig1, Curt Swanson1, Bhupinder S. Dhaliwal1, Gry Mine Berg2 1Central Contra Costa Sanitation District, 5019 Imhoff Place, Contra Costa, CA 94553, USA 2Applied Marine Sciences, 911 Center St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA *Corresponding author: mesparza@centralsan.org ABSTRACT: The impact of atypically high ammonium (NH4+) concentrations delivered via treated wastewater effluent on phytoplankton community composition was investigated in a tidal slough connected with Suisun Bay in the northern part of San Francisco Bay. Input of effluent to a downstream location resulted in NH4+ concentrations of (mean ± SD) 1021 ± 380 µmol l-1, compared with 2.9 ± 1 µmol l-1 at a site further upstream, and 4.8 ± 1 µmol l-1 in Suisun Bay. Comparison of the diatom community at the downstream site in Pacheco Slough with that in Suisun Bay revealed a substantial overlap in species, including Cyclotella scaldensis, which dominated diatom species composition in both locations. The ratio of diatoms:other phytoplankton biomass (µmol3:µmol3) suggested that diatoms contributed a greater proportion of total phytoplankton community biomass at the downstream location (48.6 ± 87) versus in Suisun Bay (9.5 ± 1) or upstream (9.5 ± 8), and that diatoms can readily grow in the presence of NH4+ concentrations varying from 2 to 1350 µmol l-1. In the present investigation, species composition of the seeding population was found to be a more important predictor of final phytoplankton community composition than nutrient concentrations or ratios. KEY WORDS: Phytoplankton · Ammonium · N:P ratio · NH4+:NO3- ratio · Diatoms · Chlorophytes · San Francisco Estuary · Suisun Bay Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Esparza ML, Farrell AE, Craig DJ, Swanson C, Dhaliwal BS, Berg GM (2014) Impact of atypical ammonium concentrations on phytoplankton abundance and composition in fresh versus estuarine waters. Aquat Biol 21:191-204. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00588 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 21, No. 3. Online publication date: September 03, 2014 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2014 Inter-Research.
Highlights
Compared with other estuaries in the United States, San Francisco Bay (SFB) on the Pacific Coast distinguishes itself by having exceptionally low phytoplankton productivity and biomass (Nixon 1988, Cloern 1999)
In addition to the aforementioned factors, it has recently been proposed that the concentration of ammonium (NH4+) in the wastewater effluent that flows into Suisun Bay impairs phytoplankton growth (Dugdale et al 2007, Parker et al 2012)
Aquat Biol 21: 191–204, 2014 analyses of changes in nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton abundance using the cumulative sums of variability (CUSUM) statistic suggests that diatom abundance correlates positively with low dissolved N:P ratios and with NO3− being the dominant N source in the water column (Glibert 2010)
Summary
Compared with other estuaries in the United States, San Francisco Bay (SFB) on the Pacific Coast distinguishes itself by having exceptionally low phytoplankton productivity and biomass (Nixon 1988, Cloern 1999). The decrease in zooplankton may be adversely affecting abundances of several species of pelagic fish that have been at historical lows since 2001 (Sommer et al 2007, Glibert 2010). This acute decline in fish abundances has prompted considerable efforts on the part of resource management agencies to identify the causes in the hope of fostering recovery (Nobriga et al 2005, Sommer et al 2007). Considerable efforts on the part of water quality managers has been expended on understanding how elevated concentrations of NH4+ may contribute to the decline of phytoplankton in general, and diatoms in particular (Jassby 2008)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
