Once limited to the Laguna Madre of Texas, blooms of the brown tide organism, Aureoumbra lagunensis, have recently been reported elsewhere. Previous studies have focused on the role of extreme hypersalinity and lack of grazing pressure as facilitators of brown tide blooms. However, development of blooms in systems that are not experiencing extreme hypersalinity, and also that are undergoing eutrophication, suggests that our understanding of A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNitrogen availability and form are important controls on estuarine phytoplankton growth. This study experimentally determined the influence of urea and nitrate additions on phytoplankton growth throughout the growing season (March 2012, June 2011, August 2011) in a temperate, eutrophied estuary (Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA). Photopigments (chlorophyll a and diagnostic photopigments: peridinin, fucoxanthin, alloxanthin, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll b) and microscopy-based cell counts were used as indicators of phytoplankton growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe lined sea anemone Edwardsiella lineata has evolved a derived parasitic life history that includes a novel body plan adapted for life inside its ctenophore hosts. Reputedly its sole host is the sea walnut, Mnemiopsis leidyi, a voracious planktivore and a seasonally abundant member of many pelagic ecosystems. However, we have observed substantially higher E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF