Abstract
The two estuarine systems composing San Francisco Bay have distinct zooplankton communities and seasonal population dynamics. In the South Bay, a shallow lagoon-type estuary, the copepods Acartia spp. and Oithona davisae dominate. As in estuaries along the northeast coast of the U.S., there is a seasonal succession involving the replacement of a cold-season Acartia species (A. clausi s.l.) by a warm-season species (A. californiensis), presumably resulting from the differential production and hatching of dormant eggs. Oithona davisae is most abundant during the fall. Copepods of northern San Francisco Bay, a partially-mixed estuary of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers, organize into discrete populations according to salinity distribution: Sinocalanus doerrii (a recently introduced species) at the riverine boundary, Eurytemora affinis in the oligohaline mixing zone, Acartia spp. in polyhaline waters (18–30‰), and neritic species (e.g., Paracalanus parvus) at the seaward boundary. Sinocalanus doerrii and E. affinis are present year-round. Acartia clausi s.l. is present almost year-round in the northern reach, and A. californiensis occurs only briefly there in summer-fall. The difference in succession of Acartia species between the two regions of San Francisco Bay may reflect differences in the seasonal temperature cycle (the South Bay warms earlier), and the perennial transport of A. clausi s.l. into the northern reach from the seaward boundary by nontidal advection.
Large numbers (>106 m−3) of net microzooplankton (>64 µm), including the rotifer Synchaeta sp. and three species of tintinnid ciliates, occur in the South Bay and in the seaward northern reach where salinity exceeds about 5–10‰. Maximum densities of these microzooplankton are associated with high concentrations of chlorophyll. Meroplankton (of gastropods, bivalves, barnacles, and polychaetes) constitute a large fraction of zooplankton biomass in the South Bay during winter-spring and in the northern reach during summer-fall.
Seasonal cycles of zooplankton abundance appear to be constant among years (1978–1981) and are similar in the deep (>10 m) channels and lateral shoals (<3 m). The seasonal zooplankton community dynamics are discussed in relation to: (1) river discharge which alters salinity distribution and residence time of plankton; (2) temperature which induces production and hatching of dormant copepod eggs; (3) coastal hydrography which brings neritic copepods of different zoogeographic affinities into the bay; and (4) seasonal cycles of phytoplankton.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ambler, J. W., 1985. Seasonal factors affecting egg production and viability of eggs of Acartia tonsa in East Lagoon, Galveston, Texas. Estuar. coast. shelf. Sci. In press.
Armor, C. & P. L. Herrgesell, 1985. Flow-related variation in San Francisco Bay fish communities: 1980–1982. Hydrobiologia (this volume).
Arthur, J. F. & M. D. Ball, 1979. Factors influencing the entrapment of suspended material in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. In T. J. Conomos (ed.), San Francisco Bay, the urbanized estuary. Pac. Div. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., San Francisco: 143–174.
Barlow, J. P., 1955. Physical and biological processes determining the distribution of zooplankton in a tidal estuary. Biol. Bull. 109: 211–225.
Beers, J. R. & G. L. Stewart, 1970. Numerical abundance and estimated biomass of microzooplankton. In J. D. H. Strickland (ed.), The ecology of the plankton of La Jolla, California, in the period April through September, 1967. Bull. Scripps Insti. Oceanogr. (New Ser.) 17: 67–87.
Berk, S. G., D. C. Brownlee, D. R. Heinle, H. J. Kling & R. R. Colwell, 1977. Ciliates as a food source for marine planktonic copepods. Microb. Ecol. 4: 27–40.
Bradford, J. M., 1976. Partial revision of the Acartia subgenus Acartiura (Copepoda: Calanoida: Acartiidae). N.Z. J. mar. freshwater Res. 10: 159–202.
Brodsky, K. A., 1950. Calanoida of the far eastern seas and polar basin of the U.S.S.R. (trans. from Russian by A. Mercado, Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, 1967). Opred. Faune U.S.S.R. 35, 441 pp.
Caskey, P. S., 1976. Spatial and temporal aspects of the zoo-plankton distribution in San Francisco Bay. Hayward, California State Univ., M.S. Thesis, 89 pp.
Cloern, J. E., 1984. Temporal dynamics and ecological significance of salinity stratification in an estuary (South San Francisco Bay, U.S.A.). Oceanol. Acta. 7: 137–141.
Cloern, J. E., 1985. Empirical models of water column stability and phytoplankton dynamics in an estuary. Submitted.
Cloern, J. E., A. E. Alpine, B. E. Cole, R. L. J. Wong, J. F. Arthur & M. D. Ball, 1983. River discharge controls phytoplankton dynamics in the northern San Francisco Bay estuary. Estuar. coast. shelf. Sci. 16: 415–429.
Cloern, J. E., B. E. Cole, R. L. J. Wong & A. E. Alpine, 1985. Temporal dynamics of estuarine phytoplankton: A case study of San Francisco Bay. Hydrobiologia (this volume).
Conomos, T. J., 1979. Properties and circulation of San Francisco Bay waters. In T. J. Conomos (ed.), San Francisco Bay, the urbanized estuary. Pac. Div. am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., San Francisco: 47–84.
Conover, R. J., 1956. Oceanography of Long Island Sound, 1952–1954. 6. Biology of Acartia clausi and A. tonsa. Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll. 15: 156–233.
Cronin, L. E., J. C. Daiber & E. M. Hulbert, 1962. Quantitative seasonal aspects of zooplankton in the Delaware River estuary. Ches. Sci. 3: 63–93.
Deason, E. E. & T. J. Smayda, 1982. Ctenophore-zooplankton interactions in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, during 1972–1977. J. Plankton Res. 4: 203–218.
Deevey, G. B., 1948. The zooplankton of Tisbury Great Pond. Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll. 12: 1–44.
Deevey, G. B., 1956. Oceanography of Long Island Sound, 1952–1954. V. Zooplankton. Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll. 15: 113–155.
Deevey, G. B., 1960. The zooplankton of the surface waters of the Delaware Bay region. Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll. 17: 5–53.
Durbin, E. G., A. G. Durbin, T. J. Smayda & P. G. Verity, 1983. Food limitation of production by adult Acartia tonsa in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28: 1199–1213.
Eriksson, S., L. Sellei & K. Wallstrom, 1977. The structure of the plankton community of the Oregrundsgrepen (southwest Bothnian Sea). Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters 30: 582–597.
Ferrari, F. D. & J. J. Orsi, 1984. Oithona davisae, new species, and Limnoithona sinensis (Burckhardt, 1912) (Copepoda: Oithonidae) from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary, California. J. crust. Biol. 4: 106–126.
Fleminger, A., 1967. Distribution atlas of calanoid copepods in the California Current region. Part 2. Calif. coop. ocean. fish. Invest. Atlas 7, 213 pp.
Frolander, H. F., C. B. Miller, J. J. Flynn, S. C. Meyers & S. T. Zimmerman, 1973. Seasonal cycles of abundance in zoo-plankton populations of Yaquina Bay, Oregon. Mar. Biol. 21: 277–288.
Gilbert, J. J., 1974. Dormancy in rotifers. Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc. 93: 490–513.
Grice, G. D. & N. H. Marcus, 1981. Dormant eggs of marine copepods. Oceanogr. mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 19: 125–140.
Haertel, L., C. Osterberg, 1967. Ecology of zooplankton, benthos, and fishes of the Columbia River estuary. Ecology 48: 459–472.
Haertel, L., C. Osterberg, H. Curl, Jr. & P. K. Park, 1969. Nutrient and plankton ecology of the Columbia River estuary. Ecology 50: 962–978.
Hargraves, P. E., 1981. Seasonal variations of tintinnids (Ciliophore: Oligotrichidae) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, U.S.A. J. Plankton Res. 3: 81–91.
Hatfield, S., 1985. Seasonal and interannual variation in the distribution and abundance of the shrimp Crangon franciscorum in San Francisco Bay. Hydrobiologia (this volume).
Heinbokel, J. F., 1978a. Studies on the functional role of tintinnids in the Southern California Bight. 1. Grazing and growth rates in laboratory cultures. Mar. Biol. 47: 177–189.
Heinbokel, J. F., 1978b. Studies on the functional role of tintinnids in the Southern California Bight. 2. Grazing rates of field populations. Mar. Biol. 47: 191–197.
Heinle, D. R. & D. A. Flemer, 1975. Carbon requirements of a population of the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. Mar. Biol. 31: 235–247.
Heinle, D. R., R. P. Harris, J. F. Ustach & D. A. Flemer, 1977. Detritus as food for copepods. Mar. Biol. 40: 341–353.
Herman, S. S., J. A. Mihursky & A. J. McErlean, 1968. Zooplankton and environmental characteristics of the Patuxent River estuary. Ches. Sci. 9: 67–82.
Hernroth, L., 1983. Marine pelagic rotifers and tintinnids — important trophic links in the spring plankton community of the Gullmar Fjord, Sweden. J. Plankton Res. 5: 835–846.
Hollowday, E. D., 1949. A preliminary report on the Plymouth marine and brackish-water rotifera. J. mar. biol. Assoc. U.K. 28: 239–253.
Hulsizer, E. E., 1976. Zooplankton of lower Narragansett Bay, 1972–1973. Ches. Sci. 17: 260–270.
Hutchinson, A., 1981. Plankton studies in San Francisco Bay. 3. Zooplankton species composition and abundance in the South Bay, 1978–1979. U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 81–132, 107 pp.
Hutchinson, A., 1982a. Plankton studies in San Francisco Bay. 5. Zooplankton species composition and abundance in the South Bay, 1980–1981. U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 82–1002, 135 pp.
Hutchinson, A., 1982b. Plankton studies in San Francisco Bay. 6. Zooplankton species composition and abundance in the North Bay, 1979–1980. U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 82–1003, 185 pp.
Jeffries, H. P., 1962a. Copepod indicator species in estuaries. Ecology 43: 730–733.
Jeffries, H. P., 1962b. Salinity-space distribution of the estuarine copepod genus Eurytemora. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 47: 291–300.
Jeffries, H. P., 1962c. Succession of two Acartia species in estuaries. Limnol. Oceanogr. 7: 354–364.
Jeffries, H. P., 1967. Saturation of estuarine zooplankton by congeneric associates. In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries. Publs. am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 83: 500–508.
Johnson, J. K., 1980a. Effects of temperature and salinity on production and hatching of dormant eggs of Acartia calfforniensis (Copepoda) in an Oregon estuary. Fish. Bull. U.S.A. 77: 567–584.
Johnson, J. K., 1980b. Population dynamics and cohort persistence of A cartia californiensis (Copepoda: Calanoida) in Yaquina Bay, Oregon. Ph.D. dissertation. Oregon State University, 305 pp.
Jones, K., D. Bottom, 1984. Zooplankton and larval fishes of the Columbia River Estuary. Final Report to Columbia River Estuary Data Development Program, POB 175, Astoria, Oregon 97103.
Katona, S. K., 1970. Growth characteristics of the copepods Eurytemora affinis and E. hermani in laboratory cultures. Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters. 20: 373–384.
Ketchum, B., 1954. Relation between circulation and plankton populations in estuaries. Ecology 35: 191–200.
Kremer, P., 1979. Predation by the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidvi in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Estuaries 2: 97–105.
Landry, M. R., 1978. Population dynamics and production of a planktonic marine copepod, Acartia clausi, in a small temperate lagoon on San Juan Island, Washington. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 63: 77–119.
Lee, W. Y. & B. J. McAlice, 1979. Seasonal succession and breeding cycles of three species of Acartia (Copepoda: Calanoida) in a Maine estuary. Estuaries 2: 228–235.
Miller, C. B., 1983. The zooplankton of estuaries. In B. H. Ketchum (ed.), Ecosystems of the world 26, Estuaries and enclosed seas. Elsevier Sci. Pub. Co.: 103–149.
Nichols, F. H. & J. K. Thompson, 1985. Time scales of change in the San Francisco Bay benthos. Hydrobiologia (this volume).
Onbé, T., 1978. The life cycle of marine cladocerans. Bull. Plankton Soc. Japan 25: 41–54.
Orsi, J. J., T. E. Bowman, D. C. Marelli & A. Hutchinson, 1983. Recent introduction of the planktonic calanoid copepod Sinocalanus doerrii (Centropagidae) from mainland China to the Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary of California. J. Plankton Res. 5: 357–375.
Pace, S. D., 1978. Distribution, abundance and rates of fecundity and growth of Acartia tonsa Dana and Acartia californiensis Trinast (Copepoda) in Elkhorn Slough, California. M.S. Thesis, San Jose State University, Calif., 113 pp.
Paranjape, M. A., 1980. Occurrence and significance of resting cysts in a hyaline tintinnid, Helicostomella subulata (Ehre.) Jorgensen. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 48: 23–34.
Peterson, D. H., T. J. Conomos, W. W. Broenkow & P. C. Doherty, 1975. Location of the non-tidal current null zone in northern San Francisco Bay. Estuar. coast. mar. Sci. 3: 1–11.
Peterson, D. H., R. E. Smith, S. W. Hager, D. D. Harmon, R. Herndon & L. E. Schemel, 1985. Interannual variability in dissolved inorganic nutrients in northern San Francisco Bay. Hydrobiologia (this volume).
Peterson, W. T., C. B. Miller & A. Hutchinson, 1979. Zonation and maintenance of copepod populations in the Oregon upwelling zone. Deep Sea Res. 26A: 467–494.
Poulet, S. A., 1976. Feeding of Pseudocalanus minutus on living and nonliving particles, Mar. Biol. 34: 117–125.
Reid, P. C. & A. W. G. John, 1978. Tintinnid cysts. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 58: 551–557.
Reid, T., 1981. Computer graphics software for the Amdahl, second edition. Data Processing Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
Robertson, J. R., 1983. Predation by estuarine zooplankton on tintinnid ciliates. Estuar. coast. shelf Sci. 16: 27–36.
Roddie, B. D., R. J. G. Leakey & A. J. Berry, 1984. Salinity-temperature tolerance and osmoregulation in Eurytemora affinis (Poppe) (Copepoda: Calanoida) in relation to its distribution in the zooplankton of the upper reaches of the Forth Estuary. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 79: 191–211.
Sage, L. E. & S. S. Herman, 1972. Zooplankton of the Sandy Hook Bay area, N.J. Ches. Sci. 13: 29–39.
Smayda, T. J., 1983. The phytoplankton of estuaries. In B. H. Ketchum (ed.), Ecosystems of the world 26, Estuaries and enclosed seas. Elsevier Sci. Pub. Co.: 65–102.
Smetacek, V., 1981. The annual cycle of protozooplankton in the Kiel Bight. Mar. Biol. 63: 1–11.
Tranter, D. J. & S. Abraham, 1971. Coexistence of species of Acartiidae (Copepoda) in the Cochin Backwater, a monsoonal estuarine lagoon. Mar. Biol. 11: 222–241.
Trinast, E. M., 1976. A preliminary note on Acartia californien-sis, a new calanoid copepod from Newport Bay, California. Crustaceana 31: 54–58.
Uye, S. & A. Fleminger, 1976. Effect of various environmental factors on egg development of several species of Acartia in southern California. Mar. Biol. 38: 253–262.
Uye, S., S. Kasahara & T. Onbé, 1979. Calanoid copepod eggs in sea-bottom muds. 4. Effects of some environmental factors on the hatching of resting eggs. Mar. Biol 51: 151–156.
Walters, R. A., R. T. Cheng & T. J. Conomos, 1985. Time scales of circulation and mixing processes of San Francisco Bay waters. Hydrobiologia (This volume).
Wooldridge, T. & R. Melville-Smith, 1979. Copepod succession in two South African estuaries. J. Plankton Res. 1: 329–341.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1985 Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ambler, J.W., Cloern, J.E., Hutchinson, A. (1985). Seasonal cycles of zooplankton from San Francisco Bay. In: Cloern, J.E., Nichols, F.H. (eds) Temporal Dynamics of an Estuary: San Francisco Bay. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 30. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5528-8_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5528-8_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8940-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5528-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive