Naslov
Mass occurrence of the ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860) in the nearshore southern Adriatic Sea (Kotor Bay, Montenegro)
(Mass occurrence of the ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860) in the nearshore nouthern Adriatic Sea (Kotor Bay, Montenegro))

Autori
Lučić, Davor ; Pestorić, Branka ; Malej, Alenka ; Lopez-Lopez, Lucia ; Drakulović, Dragana ; Onofri, Vladimir ; Miloslavić, Marijana ; Gangai, Barbara ; Onofri, Ivona ; Benović, Adam

Izvornik
Environmental monitoring and assessment (0167-6369) 184 (2012), 8; 4777-4785

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Gelatinous zooplankton . Phytoplankton . Copepods . Mediterranean Sea

Sažetak
The ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea has been rarely observed in the Mediterranean Sea. A bloom of B. vitrea is here reported for the first time in the southern Adriatic Sea in the spring and summer of 2009, together with its effect on the plankton of Kotor Bay. Ctenophores were only found below 5 m depth, where the hydrographic conditions were more stable. Results of the investigation indicate that mass occurrence of B. vitrea could have a great impact on the Kotor Bay ecosystem. Their predation on copepods would reduce grazing pressure on phytoplankton, favouring an uncommon bloom of the latter. It is evident that B. vitrea are capable of altering rapidly the composition and biomass of coastal plankton communities when present in large masses. This first evidence of such events for this species may indicate changes in the functioning of marine ecosystems of the southern Adriatic.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Geologija, Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA