Plankton community structure and geographical distribution in the North Sea
In: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Elsevier: New York. ISSN 0022-0981; e-ISSN 1879-1697, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Williams, R.
- Lindley, J.A., more
- Hunt, H.G.
- Collins, N.R.
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| Abstract |
Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) data from July 1984 to June 1987 collected in the North Sea were re-analysed. These data were sampled monthly throughout the period and the most abundant species and taxa of plankton, 35 phytoplankton and 36 Zooplankton, were selected for analyses. Multidimensional scaling ordination, cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to identify the phytoplankton and Zooplankton assemblages which showed persistence in time and space and to define their geographical boundaries. The three techniques separated major geographical groupings based on species similarity and composition. These groupings were associated with: 1. (1) shallow permanently mixed waters of the southern North Sea2. (2) transitional waters in the central area of the North Sea, and3. (3) seasonally thermally stratified waters of the northern North Sea and off the north-east coast of the UK. The Zooplankton species showed two well defined groupings with the species associated with shallow tidally mixed neritic waters distinct from species associated with stratified shelf waters under oceanic influence. The first component of the principal components analysis described over 30% of the variance in this group. The demonstration of persistent and definable plankton assemblages in the North Sea was a necessary requirement prior to equipping CPRs with new instrumentation packages in 1988. |
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