EIDO Escola Internacional de Doutoramento TESE DE DOUTORAMENTO: Temporal variability of plankton in the north and northwest Iberian shelf: Understanding plankton dynamics from monitoring time-series. Variabilidad temporal del plancton en el norte y noreste de la plataforma ibérica: Conociendo la dinámica del plancton a través de series temporales de monitoreo Lucie Buttay 2018 Mención internacional CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................. 1 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... 1 THESIS ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION 3 MARINE PLANKTON ......................................................................................................................................... 5 TEMPORAL STRUCTURE OF BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................ 9 THE RADIALES MONITORING PROGRAM IN THE NW AND N IBERIAN ATLANTIC .......................................................... 13 TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................... 14 THESIS OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 1. SEASONAL AND LONG-TERM VARIABILITY OF MESOZOOPLANKTON ABUNDANCE AND BIOMASS ALONG THE NORTH IBERIAN ATLANTIC SHELF 19 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 21 MATERIAL AND METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 23 Sampling strategy ............................................................................................................................ 23 Data analysis ................................................................................................................................... 25 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................... 26 Patterns of variability of total zooplankton biomass and abundance ............................................. 26 Biomass-abundance relationship (average individual weight) ........................................................ 31 Seasonal patterns of SST and Chl-a concentration .......................................................................... 33 Zooplankton cycles along the northern Iberian shelf ....................................................................... 35 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................. 38 Modes of variation .......................................................................................................................... 38 Long-term trends ............................................................................................................................. 41 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 43 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 2. LONG-TERM AND SEASONAL ZOOPLANKTON DYNAMICS IN THE NORTHWEST IBERIAN SHELF AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH METEO-CLIMATIC AND HYDROGRAPHIC VARIABILITY. 47 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 49 METHOD .................................................................................................................................................. 51 Study area and data collection ........................................................................................................ 51 Numerical analysis ........................................................................................................................... 56 Coupling between zooplankton dynamics and environmental variability ....................................... 58 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................... 58 Zooplankton abundance .................................................................................................................. 58 Zooplankton composition ................................................................................................................ 60 Coupling between zooplankton dynamics and environmental variability ....................................... 64 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................. 66 Zooplankton seasonal and inter-annual variability ......................................................................... 66 Long-term changes .......................................................................................................................... 67 Coupling between zooplankton dynamics and environmental variability ....................................... 68 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 71 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 3. ENVIRONMENTAL MULTI-SCALE EFFECTS ON ZOOPLANKTON INTER-SPECIFIC SYNCHRONY. 75 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 77 MATERIAL AND METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 79 Study area ........................................................................................................................................ 79 Zooplankton community and environmental variables ................................................................... 79 Data preparation ............................................................................................................................. 80 Wavelet analysis .............................................................................................................................. 81 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................... 83 Dynamics of zooplankton aggregated properties and environmental variables ............................. 83 Dynamics of zooplankton taxa and copepod species ....................................................................... 86 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................. 88 Temporal patterns and coupling between aggregated zooplankton properties and environmental variables ................................................................................................................................................ 89 Inter-specific synchrony: variability and possible drivers ................................................................. 90 Ecological implications ..................................................................................................................... 92 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 93 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 93 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................... 94 CHAPTER 4. HOW ENVIRONMENTAL FORCING CAN SYNCHRONIZE POPULATION FLUCTUATIONS 99 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 101 MATERIAL AND METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 102 Natural system description ............................................................................................................ 102 Model of competition for essential (=non-substitutable) resources .............................................. 105 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................. 106 Natural system observation ........................................................................................................... 106 Model of competition for essential resources ................................................................................ 109 DISCUSSION ...........................................................................................................................................