Cover

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of contributors

1 The importance of plankton

1.1 What are plankton – and why study them?

Box 1.1 Red tides formed by Noctiluca

1.2 Water quality, nutrients and environmentalimpacts

Box 1.2 Eutrophication and the effects of excess nitrogen

Box 1.3 Climate change

1.3 Management plans and sampling for a purpose

1.4 Coastal zone management

1.5 Outline of this book

1.6 References

1.7 Further reading

2 Plankton processes and the environment

2.1 Plankton ecology and the effect of size

2.2 Plankton food webs

2.3 Plankton behaviour: sinking, buoyancy andvertical migration

2.4 Life cycles of zooplankton

Box 2.1 Plankton diversity

2.5 Freshwater habitats of plankton

Box 2.2 Changing state of a freshwater lake

2.6 Estuarine and coastal habitats of plankton

2.7 An example of a classic salt-wedge estuary

Box 2.3 Sampling methods in the Hopkins River Estuary

2.8 References

2.9 Further reading

3 Plankton-related environmental and water-quality issues

3.1 Coastal water discolouration and harmfulalgal blooms

Box 3.1 Invasive species from ballast water

3.2 Geographically persistent algal bloomsin an estuary

3.3 Monitoring phytoplankton over the long term

3.4 Processes underlying blooms of freshwatercyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

Box 3.2 Effects of eutrophication

Box 3.3 Key nutrient: phosphorus

Box 3.4 Key nutrient: nitrogen

Box 3.5 Analysis of cyanobacterial toxins

3.5 Phytoplankton monitoring in New Zealand for toxic shellfish poisoning

Box 3.6 Depletion of phytoplankton around New Zealand mussel farms

3.6 Freshwater zooplankton as integrators andindicators of water quality

3.7 Grazing and assimilation of phytoplankton blooms

3.8 Impact of reduced freshwater inflow on the plankton of southern African estuaries

Box 3.7 How sampling was conducted in the Kasouga Estuary

3.9 References

3.10 Further reading

4 Sampling methods for plankton

4.1 Introduction to sampling methods

Box 4.1 The scientific method

4.2 Dealing with environmental variability

Box 4.2 Variance, patchiness and statistical power

Box 4.3 Where plankton variance may be expected

4.3 Typical sampling designs: where and when to sample

4.4 Measurement of water quality

Box 4.4 Electronic determination of salinity

4.5 Sampling methods for phytoplankton

4.6 Analysis of phytoplankton samples

Box 4.5 Extraction and quantification of chlorophyll

4.7 Sampling methods for zooplankton

Box 4.6 Manufacture of a simple ring net

Box 4.7 Safety note

4.8 Preparation and quantifying zooplankton (sub-sampling, S-trays, plankton wheels)

Box 4.8 Fabrication of tungsten wire probes

Box 4.9 Occupational health and safety

4.9 Automated methods for zooplanktonsampling: examples of size structure

4.10 Methods: analysis, quality control andpresentation

Box 4.10 Calculating copepods per cubic metre

Box 4.11 Safety and care

4.11 References

4.12 Further reading

5 Freshwater phytoplankton: diversity and biology

5.1 Identifying freshwater phytoplankton

5.2 Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

Box 5.1 Cyanobacteria and other photosynthetic bacteria

Box 5.2 Buoyancy regulation in cyanobacteria

Box 5.3 Heterocytes and akinetes

5.3 Chlorophyceae (green algae)

Box 5.4 Distinctive features of Chlorophyceae(green algae)

5.4 Bacillariophyceae (diatoms)

Box 5.5 Distinctive features of diatoms

Box 5.6 Vegetative reproduction in diatoms

5.5 Pyrrhophyceae (or Dinophyceae) (dinoflagellates)

Box 5.7 Distinctive features of dinoflagellates

5.6 Other algae

Box 5.8 Distinctive features of euglenoids

Box 5.9 Distinctive features of cryptomonads

Box 5.10 Distinctive features of chrysophytes

5.7 Conclusions

5.8 References

5.9 Further reading

6 Coastal and marine phytoplankton: diversity and ecology

6.1 Identifying marine phytoplankton

6.2 Diatoms (Division Bacillariophyceae)

Box 6.1 Benthic microalgae

6.3 Dinophyceae (dinoflagellates)

Box 6.2 The ‘surf diatom’: Anaulus australis

Box 6.3 Species in the Pseudo-nitzschia genus

Box 6.4 Dinophysis acuminata

6.4 Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

Box 6.5 Trichodesmium erythraeum

6.5 Other marine phytoplankton

Box 6.6 Toxic raphidophyte blooms

Box 6.7 Silicoflagellate blooms

Box 6.8 A coccolithophorid bloom in NSW

6.6 References

6.7 Further reading

7 Freshwater zooplankton: diversity and biology

7.1 Identifying freshwater zooplankton

7.2 Larval fish

7.3 Copepods

7.4 Cladocerans

7.5 Rotifers

7.6 Protozoans

7.7 Specific issues in sampling and monitoring

7.8 Conclusions

7.9 References

7.10 Further reading

8 Coastal and marine zooplankton: diversity and biology

8.1 Identifying marine zooplankton

8.2 Copepods and other small and abundant animals

Box 8.1 Three key steps to identifying copepods

Box 8.2 The ecology and aquaculture of a dominant estuarine copepod

8.3 Shrimp-like crustacean zooplankton: larger eyes and limbs

8.4 Other large zooplankton

Box 8.3 Ctenophore blooms

Box 8.4 Salps, larvaceans and climate change

8.5 Other zooplankton: worms and snails

8.6 Small and irregular zooplankton (<0.2 mm)

8.7 Jellyfish and their relatives

Box 8.5 Jellyfish fisheries

Box 8.6 Jellyfish blooms

Box 8.7 Jellyfish symbioses

Box 8.8 The bluebottle, Physalia, and its relatives

Box 8.9 Handling jellyfish: a note on safety

8.8 Larval fish in estuarine and coastal waters

Box 8.10 Larval fish condition and deformities

Box 8.11 Developmental stages of larval fish

8.9 References

8.10 Further reading

9 Models and management

9.1 Introduction to models in management

9.2 Examples of trophic models

9.3 Managing phytoplankton blooms in a reservoir by coupled models

Box 9.1 Ben Chifley catchment and Ben Chifley reservoir

9.4 Coastal Lake Assessment and Management(CLAM) tool

9.5 General comments regarding hydrodynamic and ecological modelling

9.6 References

9.7 Further reading

Glossary of terms

Index