Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands

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dc.contributor.advisorBranch, George Men_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorLucas, Michaelen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorAttwood, Colin Grahamen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-20T12:34:47Z
dc.date.available2016-09-20T12:34:47Z
dc.date.issued1991en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAbstract Several questions pertaining to the marine communities at the Prince Edward Islands are addressed. Firstly, the nature of the 'island-mass effect', and the cause of the frequently recorded diatom blooms in the area are examined. It had been suggested that the cause of the blooms is related to the presence of a Taylor Column-induced, low density, stationary eddy which stabilises the water column. On a cruise in April/May 1989, temperature, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll and primary production were measured at 90 stations in a large grid centred on the islands. These, together with data collected on previous cruises, are used to show that the repeated occurrence of diatom blooms was not a result of nutrient enhancement. No evidence for light-limitation of phytoplankton was found. The evidence and theoretical basis which was used to predict the existence of a Taylor Column is questioned. An alternative hypothesis for explaining the blooms is presented. It is argued that these local blooms are simply the result of seeding by a dormant stock of diatom resting spores from the shallow sediments around the islands. This hypothesis hinges on three observations: (1) the blooms occur only over shallow sediments and are not a feature of the open ocean, (2) the species Chaetoceros radicans has been responsible for the bloom each time the cells were identified, and (3) C. radicans forms a rapidly sinking, heavily silicified, resting spore.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationAttwood, C. G. (1991). <i>Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21843en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationAttwood, Colin Graham. <i>"Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21843en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationAttwood, C. 1991. Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Attwood, Colin Graham AB - Abstract Several questions pertaining to the marine communities at the Prince Edward Islands are addressed. Firstly, the nature of the 'island-mass effect', and the cause of the frequently recorded diatom blooms in the area are examined. It had been suggested that the cause of the blooms is related to the presence of a Taylor Column-induced, low density, stationary eddy which stabilises the water column. On a cruise in April/May 1989, temperature, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll and primary production were measured at 90 stations in a large grid centred on the islands. These, together with data collected on previous cruises, are used to show that the repeated occurrence of diatom blooms was not a result of nutrient enhancement. No evidence for light-limitation of phytoplankton was found. The evidence and theoretical basis which was used to predict the existence of a Taylor Column is questioned. An alternative hypothesis for explaining the blooms is presented. It is argued that these local blooms are simply the result of seeding by a dormant stock of diatom resting spores from the shallow sediments around the islands. This hypothesis hinges on three observations: (1) the blooms occur only over shallow sediments and are not a feature of the open ocean, (2) the species Chaetoceros radicans has been responsible for the bloom each time the cells were identified, and (3) C. radicans forms a rapidly sinking, heavily silicified, resting spore. DA - 1991 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1991 T1 - Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands TI - Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21843 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/21843
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationAttwood CG. Investigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islands. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 1991 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21843en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherZoologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherMarine Biologyen_ZA
dc.titleInvestigations into the functioning of phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp and benthic communities at the Prince Edward Islandsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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