Zooplankton of the Baltic Sea

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Zooplankton of the Baltic Sea Irena Telesh, Sergei Skarlato, Sandra Kube, Henning Rohde and Hendrik Schubert Zooplankton of the Baltic Sea: Introduction to the Distant Learning Module Rostock & St. Petersburg 2015 Irena Telesh Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia Sergei Skarlato Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia Sandra Kube Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Rostock, Germany Henning Rohde Aquatic Ecology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany Hendrik Schubert Aquatic Ecology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany Front cover illustrations: Upper panel: left picture: Bosmina longirostris (photo courtesy of L. Postel); middle picture: Keratella quadrata (photo courtesy of P. Snoeijs Leijonmalm); right picture: Pseudocalanus elongatus (photo courtesy of P. Snoeijs Leijonmalm). Middle panel: left picture: Temora longicornis, female (photo courtesy of L. Postel); middle picture: Synchaeta sp. (photo courtesy of H. Sandberg); right picture: Podon leuckarti (photo courtesy of L. Postel). Lower panel: left picture: above – Bosmina longirostris, below – planktonic larvae of a bivalve mollusk (photo courtesy of P. Snoeijs Leijonmalm); middle picture: Eurytemora affinis, female (photo courtesy of L. Postel); right picture: Evadne nordmanni, female with a resting egg (photo courtesy of H. Sandberg). © Universität Rostock, 18051 Rostock This book is the first printed edition of the guiding material for the online-based Zooplankton Distant Learning Module, developed in collaboration between Russian and German scientists in the framework of the “Ulrich Schiewer Laboratory for Experimental Aquatic Ecology” (USELab). ISBN 978-3-860009-441-9 Rostock & St. Petersburg 2015 Preface Zooplankton is an important biotic component of aquatic ecosystems. These tiny organisms (usually 0.02 – 20.0 mm in size) transfer matter and energy from primary producers to secondary consumers; they serve as food for fish and can be used as biological indicators of water quality. Zooplankton also play a significant role in the formation and maintaining of the natural biological diversity and thus secure the ecosystem stability. This Introduction to the Zooplankton Distant Learning Module provides the general information on zooplankton organisms of the Baltic Sea: their morphology, biodiversity, ecology and roles in the food webs, picture key to the higher invertebrate taxa and methodological recommendations for sampling, identification and counting of zooplankton. The contents is enhanced by tables, line drawings, and colour photographs depicting some of the most common species of Protozoa, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Turbellaria, Rotifera, Phyllopoda (Cladocera), Copepoda, Chaetognatha and Copelata, as well as meroplanktonic larvae of Polychaeta, Mollusca, and Cirripedia. We also present here the checklist of meso- and macrozooplankton species which inhabit the open and coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. Precise species identification of zooplankton organisms is necessary for the evaluation of their functional roles, bio-indication values, and production potential – the important species- specific ecological parameters. However, it is a tedious and time-consuming work which requires certain taxonomic skills, understanding of the general principles of species identification, and knowledge of taxonomically-important morphological characteristics of zooplankters from different groups. On a regular basis, species determination should be performed with the help of the professionally compiled taxonomic identification keys. Additionally, illustrated atlas books with drawings and photos of live and preserved planktonic organisms can be also helpful; however, they can not substitute the classical taxonomic guides and the expertize of professional taxonomists. Nowadays, it is a common problem worldwide that taxonomists become extinct. For the Baltic Sea region, taxonomic training of the staff in hydrobiological laboratories, storing their results in joint databases, is of exceptional importance for acquiring and maintaining the quality assurance of the laboratories, which participate in the international monitoring programmes in the Baltic Sea region. Unfortunately, such taxonomic training courses are rare so far. The information given in this introductory part of the Zooplankton Distant Learning Module provides the primary knowledge which is essential for the identification and study of i zooplankton. This information is largely based on the series of research papers and four Baltic Sea zooplankton atlas books (Telesh & Heerkloss, 2002, 2004; Telesh et al., 2008b, 2009). The description of zooplankton is preceded by the brief introduction into the vast field of knowledge about the environmental characteristics and peculiarities of the community structure and distribution patterns of mesozooplankton in the Baltic Sea. These sections allow mentioning only the basic features, facts and regularities that are specific to the Baltic Sea; however, they are of utmost importance for the Zooplankton Distant Learning Module. Basing on this information, the interested reader will easily find a number of recent books, reviews, and research papers for further reading and getting more in-depth knowledge which is necessary to study the zooplankton of the Baltic Sea. For example, for a comprehensive description of the oceanography of the Baltic Sea see Matthäus (1995) and Feistel et al. (2008), for ecology of the Baltic Sea see Schiewer (2008). The authors hope that the new Intenet-based distant learning system developed in the frames of the German-Russian research project “Ulrich Schiewer Laboratory for Experimental Aquatic Ecology (USELab)” will make the species identification of zooplankton easier and thus contribute to better usage of the zooplankton data for water quality assessment in the Baltic Sea and dissemination of knowledge on marine biodiversity. The Zooplankton Distant Learning Module is recommended for university students, zoologists and aquatic ecologists who are investigating and monitoring the pelagic ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Rostock & St. Petersburg, August 2015 Irena Telesh & Hendrik Schubert ii Contents Chapter 1. The Baltic Sea environment: introductory remarks…………………...……………… .... 1 Chapter 2. Zooplankton of the Baltic Sea…………………………………………………..…… ... 12 2.1. General characteristics of the Baltic Sea zooplankton……………………………….. 12 2.2. Dominant species and mesozooplankton community composition………………….. 29 2.3. Why zooplankton composition varies spatially…………………………………. ........ 31 2.4. Horizontal distribution patterns…………………………………………………. ........ 31 2.5. Vertical distribution patterns…………………………………………………….......... 33 2.6. Seasonal variations in zooplankton……………………………………………… ........ 37 2.7. Invasive species………………………………………………………………….. ....... 40 2.8. Long-term trends………………………………………………………………… ........ 43 Chapter 3. Methods of collecting and processing samples, microscopic study, counts and determination of zooplankton biomass ……………………………………………… ........ 45 3.1. Sampling: general aspects……………………………………………………….. ........ 45 3.2. Routine sampling, identifying and counting meso- and macrozooplankton…….. ........ 45 3.3. Biomass determination…………………………………………………………... ........ 50 Chapter 4. Picture key for major zooplankton taxa………………………………………….. ........ 52 Chapter 5. Checklist of meso- and macrozooplankton species of the Baltic Sea…………… ......... 54 Chapter 6. Description of major groups of meso- and macrozooplankton…………………... ........ 63 6.1. Cnidaria………………………………………………………………………….. ........ 63 6.2. Ctenophora………………………………………………………………………. ........ 66 6.3. Rotifera………………………………………………………………………….. ........ 68 6.4. Cladocera………………………………………………………………………... ........ 70 6.5. Copepoda………………………………………………………………………… ....... 74 6.6. Chaetognatha…………………………………………………………………….. ........ 79 6.7. Appendicularia…………………………………………………………………... ........ 81 6.8. Polychaeta ……………………………………………………………………. ............ 83 Chapter 7. Brief guide to determination of selected mesozooplankton taxa using the Distant Learning Module…………………………………………………………...... ........ 86 7.1. Cladocera………………………………………………………………………............ 86 7.2. Copepoda………………………………………………………………………... ........ 91 7.3. Rotifera………………………………………………………………………… ......... 103 7.4. Meroplanktonic larvae…………………………………………………………. ........ 106 List of selected Internet Zooplankton Data Bases……………………………………… .............. 108 Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………. ........ 108 References…………………………………………………………………………………... ........ 109 Index ............................................................................................................................................... 121 iii iv Chapter 1 The Baltic Sea environment: introductory remarks The Baltic Sea is the world’s largest semi-closed brackish water body. It is characterized as a temperate shelf sea with permanent salinity stratification, a unique horizontal salinity gradient and low water turnover of 25-35 years. It is a shallow sea with a mean depth of 62.1 m, the greatest depth 459 m, an area of 415,266 km2 (Baltic proper itself is 211,069 km2), and a volume of ca. 22,000 km3 (HELCOM, 2001; Wulff et al., 2001; Schiewer, 2008). The Baltic Sea catchment area covers 1,671,000 km² (Kortum, 1996). The presence of shallow sills at the western inlets causes stable water stratification. Climate is humid in the Baltic Sea area. The Baltic can be best
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