Skip to main content

Advertisement

Springer Nature Link
Log in

Plankton Assemblage Variability in a River-Dominated Temperate Estuary During Late Spring (High-flow) and Late Summer (Low-flow) Periods

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Seasonally variable freshwater flows are known to influence estuarine plankton assemblages. There has been little recent study of the plankton dynamics of the Columbia River Estuary (CRE), a large, river-dominated estuary that has experienced great modification to its hydrological cycle. Zooplankton (>75 μm) were collected during four late spring (high-flow) cruises and three late summer (low-flow) cruises in 2005 and 2006. Surface-water microplankton (5–200 μm) were collected during cruises in 2005. Zooplankton and phytoplankton assemblage composition varied along an axial salinity gradient and between flow periods. Estuarine zooplankton were strongly seasonal and dominated by the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis in the late spring, high-flow period and by the invasive calanoid Pseudodiaptomus forbesi in the late summer, low-flow period. The phytoplankton assemblage was dominated by freshwater diatoms, primarily Aulacoseira spp. The ciliate Mesodinium rubrum (=Myrionecta rubra) reached high densities during the low-flow period, but otherwise, distinct high-flow and low-flow phytoplankton assemblages were not detected. Comparison to prior studies in the CRE suggests that the plankton assemblage composition during the low-flow period has undergone considerable change, which may in turn have important trophic implications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bollens, S.M., and B.W. Frost. 1991. Ovigerity, selective predation, and variable diel vertical migration in Euchaeta elongata (Copepoda: Calanoida). Oecologia 87: 155–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollens, S.M., J.K. Breckenridge, R.C. vanden Hooff, and J.R. Cordell. 2011. Mesozooplankton of the lower San Francisco Estuary: Spatio-temporal patterns, ENSO effects and the prevalence of non-indigenous species. Journal of Plankton Research 33: 1358–1377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollens, S.M., J.K. Breckenridge, J.R. Cordell, G.C. Rollwagen-Bollens, and O. Kalata. 2012. Invasive copepods in the Lower Columbia River Estuary: Seasonal abundance, co-occurrence and potential competition with native copepods. Aquatic Invasions. doi:10.3391/ai.2012.7.1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bottom, D.L., C.A. Simenstad, J. Burke, A.M. Baptista, D.A. Jay, K.K. Jones, E. Casillas, and M.H. Schiewe. 2005. Salmon at river's end: The role of the estuary in the decline and recovery of Columbia River Salmon. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-68.

  • Bouley, P., and W.T. Kimmerer. 2006. Ecology of a highly abundant, introduced cyclopoid copepod in a temperate estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 324: 219–228.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, M.E., and J.D. Arnold. 2007. Diets of age-0 striped bass in the San Francisco Estuary, 1973–2002. California Fish and Game 93(1): 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chawla, A., D.A. Jay, A.M. Baptista, M. Wilkin, and C. Seaton. 2008. Seasonal variability and estuary–shelf interactions in circulation dynamics of a river-dominated estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 31: 269–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E. 1991. Annual variations in river flow and primary production in the South San Francisco Bay Estuary (USA). In Estuaries and coasts: Spatial and temporal intercomparisons, ed. M. Elliot and J.-P. Ducrotoy, 91–96. Fredensborg: Olsen & Olsen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E., and R. Dufford. 2005. Phytoplankton community ecology: Principles applied in San Francisco Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series 285: 11–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E., B.E. Cole, and S.W. Hager. 1994. Notes on a Mesodinium rubrum red tide in San Francisco Bay (California, USA). Journal of Plankton Research 16(9): 1269–1276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordell, J.R., S.M. Bollens, R. Draheim, and M. Sytsma. 2008. Asian copepods on the move: Recent invasions in the Columbia–Snake River system, USA. ICES Journal of Marine Science 65: 753–758.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dore, M.H.I. 2005. Climate change and changes in global precipitation patterns: What do we know? Environment International 31(8): 1167–1181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dufrêne, M., and P. Legendre. 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: The need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecological Monographs 67: 345–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duggan, S., A.D. Mckinnon, and J.H. Carlton. 2008. Zooplankton in an Australian tropical estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 31: 455–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillanders, B.M., and M.J. Kingsford. 2002. Impact of changes in flow of freshwater on estuarine and open coastal habitats and the associated organisms. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 40: 233–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, A.L., and W.T. Kimmerer. 2010. Development, growth, and reproduction of the cyclopoid copepod Limnoithona tetraspina in the upper San Francisco Estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 412: 163–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haertel, L., and C. Osterberg. 1967. Ecology of zooplankton, benthos and fishes in the Columbia River Estuary. Ecology 48: 459–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haertel, L., C. Osterberg, H.J. Curl, and P.K. Park. 1969. Nutrient and plankton ecology of the Columbia River Estuary. Ecology 50: 962–978.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herfort, L., T.D. Peterson, V. Campbell, S. Futrell, and P. Zuber. 2011. Myrionecta rubra (Mesodinium rubrum) bloom initiation in the Columbia River Estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 95: 440–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hickey, B.M., and N.S. Banas. 2003. Oceanography of the US Pacific Northwest Coastal Ocean and estuaries with application to coastal ecology. Estuaries 26: 1010–1031.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hickey, B.M., L.J. Pietrafesa, D.A. Jay, and W.C. Boicourt. 1998. The Columbia River plume study: Subtidal variability in the velocity and salinity fields. Journal of Geophysical Research 103: 10339–10368.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs, J.A., W.A. Bennett, and J.E. Burton. 2006. Assessing nursery habitat quality for native smelts (Osmeridae) in the low-salinity zone of the San Francisco estuary. Journal of Fish Biology 69(3): 907–922.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooff, R.C., and S.M. Bollens. 2004. Functional response and potential predatory impact of Tortanus dextrilobatus, a carnivorous copepod recently introduced to the San Francisco Estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 277: 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huyer, A., E.J.C. Dobey, and R.L. Smith. 1979. The spring transition in currents over the Oregon continental coast. Journal of Geophysical Research 84: 6995–7011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jay, D.A., and J.D. Smith. 1990. Circulation, density distribution and neap–spring transitions in the Columbia River Estuary. Progress in Oceanography 25: 81–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, H.P. 1962. Succession of two Acartia species in estuaries. Limnology and Oceanography 7: 354–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, K.K., C.A. Simenstad, D.L. Higley, and D.L. Bottom. 1990. Community structure, distribution, and standing stock of benthos, epibenthos, and plankton in the Columbia River Estuary. Progress in Oceanography 25: 211–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, D.G., and M.R. Roman. 2004. Long-term trends in mesozooplankton abundance in Chesapeake Bay, USA: Influence of freshwater input. Marine Ecology Progress Series 267: 71–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerer, W.J. 2002. Effects of freshwater flow on abundance of estuarine organisms: Physical effects or trophic linkages? Marine Ecology-Progress Series 243: 39–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerer, W.J., and J.J. Orsi. 1996. Changes in the zooplankton of the San Francisco Bay Estuary since the introduction of the clam, Potamocorbula amurensis. In San Francisco Bay: The ecosystem, ed. J.T. Hollibaugh, 403–424. San Francisco: American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerer, W.J., J.R. Burau, and W.A. Bennett. 1998. Tidally oriented vertical migration and position maintenance of zooplankton in a temperate estuary. Limnology and Oceanography 43(7): 1697–1709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C.E. 1999. Rapid and repeated invasions of fresh water by the copepod Eurytemora affinis. Evolution 53: 1423–1434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehman, P.W. 2004. The influence of climate on mechanistic pathways that affect lower food web production in northern San Francisco Bay estuary. Estuaries 27: 311–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livingston, R.J., X. Niu, G. Lewis III, and G.C. Woodsum. 1997. Freshwater input to a gulf estuary: Long-term control of trophic organization. Ecological Applications 7(1): 277–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackas, D.L., W.T. Peterson, M.D. Ohman, and B.E. Lavaniegos. 2006. Zooplankton anomalies in the California Current system before and during the warm ocean conditions of 2005. Geophysical Research Letters 33: L22S07. doi:10.1029/2006GL027930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margalef, R. 1978. Life-forms of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment. Oceanologica Acta 1(4): 493–509.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCune, B., and M.J. Mefford. 2006. PC-ORD. Multivariate analysis of ecological data. Version 5.10. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR.

  • Miller, C.B. 1983. The zooplankton of estuaries. In Ecosystems of the world 26, estuaries and enclosed seas, ed. B.H. Ketchum, 109–149. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, C.A., J.R. Cordell, and C.A. Simenstad. 1997. Sink or swim? Copepod population maintenance in the Columbia River estuarine turbidity-maxima region. Marine Biology 129: 309–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muylaert, K., K. Sabbe, and W. Vyverman. 2000. Spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton communities in a freshwater tidal estuary (Schelde, Belgium). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 50: 673–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neal, V.T. 1972. Physical aspects of the Columbia River and its estuary. In The Columbia River Estuary and adjacent ocean waters: Bioenvironmental studies, ed. A.T. Pruter and D.L. Alverson, 19–70. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orsi, J.J., and S. Ohtsuka. 1999. Introduction of the Asian copepods Acartiella sinensis, Tortanus dextrilobatus (Copepoda: Calanoida), and Limnoithona tetraspina (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) to the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA. Plankton Biology and Ecology 46: 128–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orsi, J.J., and T.C. Walter. 1991. Pseudodiaptomus forbesi and P. marinus (Copepoda: Calanoida), the latest copepod immigrants to California's Sacramento–San Joaquin Estuary. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Copepoda. Bulletin of Plankton Society of Japan, Special Volume, eds. S.I. Uye, S. Nishida and J.S. Ho, 553–562

  • Orsi, J.J., T.E. Bowman, D.C. Marelli, and A. Hutchinson. 1983. Recent introduction of the planktonic calanoid copepod Sinocalanus doerrii (Centropagidae) from mainland China to the Sacramento–San Joaquin Estuary of California. Journal of Plankton Research 5: 357–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J.O., and W.T. Peterson. 2008. Influence of the Columbia River plume (USA) on the vertical and horizontal distribution of mesozooplankton over the Washington and Oregon shelf. ICES Journal of Marine Science 65: 477–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roegner, G.C., B.M. Hickey, J.A. Newton, A.L. Shanks, and D.A. Armstrong. 2002. Wind-induced plume and bloom intrusions into Willapa Bay, Washington. Limnology and Oceanography 47: 1033–1042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roegner, G.C., C. Seaton, and A.M. Baptista. 2011. Climatic and tidal forcing of hydrography and chlorophyll concentrations in the Columbia River Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 34: 281–296.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rothenberger, M.B., J.M. Burkholder, and T.R. Wentworth. 2009. Use of long-term data and multivariate ordination techniques to identify environmental factors governing estuarine phytoplankton species dynamics. Limnology and Oceanography 54(6): 2107–2127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher, T.A., and T.H. Wooldridge. 1996. Ecological responses to reduction in freshwater supply and quality in South Africa’s estuaries: lessons for management and conservation. Journal of Coastal Conservation 2: 115–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwing, F.B., N.A. Bond, S.J. Bograd, T. Mitchell, M.A. Alexander, and N. Mantua. 2006. Delayed coastal upwelling along the US West Coast in 2005: A historical perspective. Geophysical Research Letters 33: L22S01. doi:10.1029/2006GL026911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen, P.-P., G. Li, L.-M. Huang, J.-L. Zhang, and Y.-H. Tan. 2011. Spatio temporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages in the Pearl River estuary, with special reference to the influence of turbidity and temperature. Continental Shelf Research 31: 1672–1681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherwood, C.R., D.A. Jay, R.B. Harvey, P. Hamilton, and C.A. Simenstad. 1990. Historical changes in the Columbia River Estuary. Progress in Oceanography 25: 299–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simenstad, C.A., L.F. Small, C.D. McIntire, D.A. Jay, and C. Sherwood. 1990. Columbia River Estuary studies: An introduction to the estuary, a brief history, and prior studies. Progress in Oceanography 25: 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, B.E., F.G. Prahl, L.F. Small, and P.A. Covert. 2001. Seasonality of phytoplankton production in the Columbia River: A natural or anthropogenic pattern? Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67: 1125–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, Y., L. Huang, Q. Chen, and X. Huang. 2004. Seasonal variation in zooplankton composition and grazing impact on phytoplankton standing stock in the Pearl River Estuary, China. Journal of Continental Shelf Research 24(16): 1949–1968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villarino, M.L., F.G. Figueiras, K.J. Jones, X.A. Alvarez-Salgado, J. Richard, and A. Edwards. 1995. Evidence of in situ diel vertical migration of a red-tide microplankton species in Ría de Vigo (NW Spain). Marine Biology 123: 607–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent, D., C. Luczak, and B. Sautour. 2002. Effects of a brief climatic event on zooplankton community structure and distribution in Arcachon Bay (France). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the U.K. 82: 21–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, S.N., and S.M. Bollens. 2013. Fish assemblages across a vegetation gradient in a restoring tidal freshwater wetland: Diets and potential for resource competition. Environmental Biology of Fishes. doi:10.1007/s10641-013-0168-9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winder, M., and A.D. Jassby. 2011. Shifts in zooplankton community structure: Implications for food web processes in the upper San Francisco Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 34(4): 675–690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, T., and R. Melville-Smith. 1979. Copepod succession in two South African estuaries. Journal of Plankton Research 1(4): 329–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, H., J.S. Kimball, M.M. Elsner, N. Mantua, R.F. Adler, and J. Stanford. 2012. Projected climate change impacts on the hydrology and temperature of Pacific Northwest Rivers. Water Resources Research 48(11): doi: 10.1029/2012WR012082

  • Yin, K.D., P.J. Harrison, and R.J. Beamish. 2005. effects of a fluctuation in Fraser River discharge on primary production in the central Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 54(5): 1015–1024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank R. vanden Hooff, A. Gibson, O. Kalata, J. Zimmerman, L. MacLellan, I. McComas, and K. Olsen for their efforts in sample collection and processing, and Dr. D. Jay for lending his knowledge on circulation within the estuary. We also greatly appreciate the assistance of Captain Gene Bock and crew of the M/V Forerunner.

Author information

Author notes

  1. J. K. Breckenridge

    Present address: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of the Environment, Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA

    J. K. Breckenridge, S. M. Bollens & G. Rollwagen-Bollens

  2. NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Point Adams Research Station, Box 155, Hammond, OR, 97121, USA

    G. C. Roegner

Authors
  1. J. K. Breckenridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. M. Bollens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Rollwagen-Bollens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. C. Roegner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. K. Breckenridge.

Additional information

Communicated by Wim J. Kimmerer

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online Resource 1

Dendrograms generated by cluster analysis for a mesozooplankton, 1.17 % chaining, and b microplankton, 1.69 % chaining. Chaining is a measure of the sequential addition of smaller groups to a small number of larger groups. Highly chained dendrograms are not useful in defining clusters (McCune and Mefford 2002). Labels indicate the cluster affiliation of each sample (EPS 256 kb)

High Resolution Image (GIF 100 kb)

ESM 2

(DOC 207 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Breckenridge, J.K., Bollens, S.M., Rollwagen-Bollens, G. et al. Plankton Assemblage Variability in a River-Dominated Temperate Estuary During Late Spring (High-flow) and Late Summer (Low-flow) Periods. Estuaries and Coasts 38, 93–103 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9820-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9820-7

Keywords