Thesis
Macrozooplankton community dynamics in relation to environmental variables in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2008
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103056
Abstract
Willapa Bay is a large, economically and ecologically important estuary on the Washington coast, USA, for which the zooplankton community has not previously been studied. Thus, in 2006 and 2007, six stations within Willapa Bay were sampled biweekly for macrozooplankton, chlorophyll, and various abiotic variables to elucidate the processes underlying community composition and dynamics. Non-metric multidimensional scaling identified water temperature and upwelling values as major factors defining two distinct temporal communities. Winter was marked by high abundances and a community of mainly oceanic species (Calanus pacificus, Centropages abdominalis), while summer was dominated by estuarine species (Palaemonidae, Clevelandia ios). Subsequent groupings were classified by variation in chlorophyll a concentration and salinity, and were marked by the presence of other taxa (Mysidae, Neotrypaea californiensis). These results point to the importance of physical processes, in particular interactions with the coastal ocean, in structuring the macrozooplankton in Willapa Bay.
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Details
- Title
- Macrozooplankton community dynamics in relation to environmental variables in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA
- Creators
- Eileen Sigaty Graham
- Contributors
- Stephen M. Bollens (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Environment, School of the (CAHNRS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525281101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis