In aquatic systems, an interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes determines the dynamic of picocyanobacteria (Pcy) abundance and community structure. Here, we analyzed a 10-year time series (sampled fortnightly) from a hypereutrophic turbid shallow lake located within the Pampa Region of South America, generating the first long-term record of freshwater Pcy from the Southern Hemisphere. We used a cytometric approach to study Pcy community, and focused on its relations with nutrient and light conditions (bottom-up) and potential grazers (top-down).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe relationship between the timing of recurrent biological events and seasonal climatic patterns (i.e., phenology) is a crucial ecological process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPicocyanobacteria can occur as single-cell (Pcy) or as colonies (CPcy). Published evidence suggests that some Pcy strains have the capability to aggregate under certain culture conditions, however this has not been demonstrated to occur in natural environments. We investigated whether the Pcy and CPcy belong to the same species (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn turbid Pampean lakes, incident solar radiation is a major driver of plankton seasonal dynamics. Higher light availability in summer translates into higher primary production, and therefore more food for zooplankton grazers. However, experimental evidence suggests that food produced under the high irradiance conditions prevailing in summer are less suitable to sustain rotifer population growth than that produced under the lower irradiance conditions typical of winter.
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