The present study was conducted in southern part of Caspian Sea, Iran. All samples were taken during 1995-1996 and 2006-2007 in 6 transects such as Lisar, Anzali, Sefidroud, Noushahr, Babolsar and Amirabad. The phytoplankton compositions were significantly changed with seasons (P<0.05). In compare to after Mnemiopsis leidyi arrival, the population of phytoplankton species were increased. Totall...

A comparison of spectrophotometry and submersible fluorescence probe as methods for quantification of chlorophyll a content and phytoplankton diversity was performed in lake Gransjön, located in middle of Sweden.The values ranged from 2.49 μg/l to 7.91 μg/l, but did not correspond between the tested methods. Algae communities were examined via FluoroProbe and inverted microscopy technique. Ther...

One of the most intriguing environmental gradients connected with variation in diversity is ecosystem productivity. The role of diversity in ecosystems is pivotal, because species richness can be both a cause and a consequence of primary production. However, the mechanisms behind the varying productivity-diversity relationships (PDR) remain poorly understood. Moreover, large-scale studies on PD...

Cascading trophic interactions are often defined as the indirect effects of a predator on primary producers through the effect of the predator on herbivores. These effects can be both direct through removal of herbivores [density-mediated indirect interactions (DMIIs)] or indirect through changes in the behavior of the herbivores [trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs)]. How the relative ...

The importance of algal and detrital food supplies to the planktonic food web of a highly disturbed, estuarine ecosystem was evaluated in response to declining zooplankton and fish populations. We assessed organic matter bioavailability among a diversity of habitats and hydrologic inputs over 2 years in San Francisco Estuary's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Results show that bioavailable d...

Phytoplankton constitutes the primary producers of aquatic ecosystems and represents the food chain base that supports the commercial fisheries of most water bodies. Nowadays, there is lack of information on phytoplankton assemblages of most reservoirs in Africa. To contribute with this knowledge, this study was carried out to determine the density and diversity of seasonal variations of phytop...

In temperate systems, phytoplankton spring blooms deplete inorganic nutrients and are major sources of organic matter for the microbial loop. In response to phytoplankton exudates and environmental factors, heterotrophic microbial communities are highly dynamic and change their abundance and composition both on spatial and temporal scales. Yet, most of our understanding about these processes co...

The biodiversity loss of phytoplankton with eutrophication has been reported in many aquatic ecosystems, e.g., water pollution and red tides. This phenomenon seems similar, but different from the paradox of enrichment via trophic interactions, e.g., predator-prey systems. We here propose the paradox of enrichment by induced competitive interactions using multiple contact process (a lattice Lotk...

Qualitative and quantitative phytoplankton compositions of 10 Montenegrin lakes were investigated in the summer of 2007. The obtained results were compared with a previous study-period that was undertaken two decades ago. In the first period, diatoms numerically dominated the phytoplankton community in all studied lakes, while in the second period, the same was observed only in three of the ten...

Covering more than 60% of the lake surface, macrophytes determined the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton. We have found numerous indications of ecological deterioration and an increased trophic level year to year: an increased total number of taxa; a significantly increased number of species of Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyceae and Cyanoprokaryota; a decreased number of Chrysophyceae; increas...