PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 4: Marine Ecology
Monday, August 8, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
The copepod genus Acartia (Calanoida: Copepoda) in a temperate shallow estuary (The Mondego Estuary: Western coast of Portugal).
Azeiteiro, Ulisses*,1, Marques, Sónia2, Pastorinho, Ramiro3, Ré, Pedro4, Pereira, Mário5, Morgado, Fernando 6, 1 IMAR - Institute of Marine Research, Coimbra2 IMAR - Institute of Marine Research, Coimbra3 Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro4 IMAR - Institute of Marine Research, Lisbon5 Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro6 Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro
ABSTRACT- The purpose of this work was to review the dynamics of the Acartia species in the Mondego estuary (a temperate North-Atlantic shallow estuary in Western Portugal) in a genus integrated perspective. The Acartia genus is represented in the system by the species Acartia clausi and Acartia tonsa; the samples were taken between July 1999 and June 2000, with 63 and 125 micro-meter mesh size nets, and between January 2003 and January 2004, with a 335 micro-meter mesh size net, in the downstream and upstream areas of the estuary. Significant differences in abundance were found between months and sampling stations for the two species (ANOVA, P < 0.05). A. clausi dominated in the downstream estuary, registering peaks in Jun (156 ind. mm-3) and September (73 ind. m-3); in the upstream estuary this species showed a maximum of density in September (35 ind. m-3). A. tonsa dominated in the upstream estuary with peaks of abundance occurring in December (2372 in. m-3) and October (1056 ind. m-3 in the downstream estuary this species exhibited higher abundance in August (52 ind. m-3). The two species of the genus coexist in time exhibiting strong spatial segregation behaviour in the estuary.
Key words: Estuaries, Mondego estuary, Copepoda, Acartia