Protistan plankton time series from the northern Salish Sea and central coast, British Columbia, Canada

Justin Del Bel Belluz

doi:10.15468/q748tc

Protistan plankton time series from the northern Salish Sea and central coast, British Columbia, Canada

Citation

Del Bel Belluz J (2024). Protistan plankton time series from the northern Salish Sea and central coast, British Columbia, Canada. Version 1.4. Hakai Institute. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/q748tc accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-15.

Description

The Hakai Institute Oceanography Program has been monitoring surface (0-1 or 5m depth) protistan plankton community composition, via optical microscopy, at multiple time series stations in the northern Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia) and central coast of British Columbia since 2016 and 2019, respectively. Data were collected to characterize and monitor phytoplankton community composition and investigate links to environmental drivers, the food web and carbon dynamics. Additionally, data were used to support group level phytoplankton composition derived via HPLC phytoplankton pigment analysis, compare with particulate organic matter fatty acid composition and validate remote sensing products.

Purpose

The dataset was developed to investigate protistan plankton (primarily phytoplankton) community composition variability and links to environmental drivers, the food web and carbonate chemistry. Additionally, the data were collected to support HPLC phytoplankton pigment analysis and remote sensing.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

In the northern Salish Sea, data were collected weekly to bi-weekly in surface waters (0-1m prior to April 2019 and 5m afterwards) at a fixed time series location (QU39). On the central coast, data were collected monthly at 5m depth at three locations: within a fjord (River’s Inlet, Hakai station DFO2), Fitz-Hugh Channel (Hakai station KC10) and on the shelf (Hakai station QCS01).

Sampling

Water samples were collected at 0-1 or 5 m depths using a Niskin bottle from small research vessels (less than 40 ft). Sample water was transferred into 250 mL amber glass bottles and immediately fixed using Lugol's acid-iodine solution (1% concentration) (Edler & Elbrächter 2010; Del Bel Belluz et al., 2021). The use of acidic Lugol’s solution removes CaCO3 containing cells (i.e. coccolithophores) and these species were not enumerated. Sample were kept cool and stored in a dark fridge until analysis was performed. Analysis was performed at LCLJ Marine Ecological Services by Dr. Louis Hobson. Protistan plankton were enumerated with the Utermöhl method using 50 mL settling chambers and phase contrast microscopy on an inverted light microscope (Edler & Elbrächter 2010; Hobson & Galbraith, 2018). The analyst was able to resolve species down to approximately 4 μm in size.

Quality Control

Some samples, particularly those from the beginning of the timeseries, were stored for up to 2-3 years prior to analysis. The analyst did not see signs of weakened preservative or cell degradation, but storage time should be considered as degradation can bias results (Williams et al., 2016). Data have been broadly compared to functional group level phytoplankton biomass derived from HPLC pigments and chemotaxonomic analysis and show general agreement (Del Bel Belluz et al., 2021). More detailed comparisons are being performed and additional information will be added when available.

Method steps

See sampling description, quality control and bibliographic citations.

Additional info

In the northern Salish Sea, portions of this time series have been published in Del Bel Belluz et al. (2021) and Mclaskey et al. (2022). On the central coast, data have been used to investigate trends and drivers of protistan plankton communities across a fjord to shelf gradient (Del Bel Belluz, submitted).

Taxonomic Coverages

We targeted autotrophic protists, but data include mixotrophic and heterotrophic species including ciliophora and small metazoa. The analyst was able to resolve species as small as approximately 4 um.

Arthropoda
rank: phylum
Cocconeidaceae
rank: family
Paraliaceae
rank: family
Gymnodiniaceae
rank: family
Dinophyceae
rank: class
Fragilariaceae
rank: family
Pleurochloridaceae
rank: family
Chromista
rank: kingdom
Gonyaulacales
rank: order
Striatellaceae
rank: family
Tabellariales
rank: order
Dictyochaceae
rank: family
Haptophyta
rank: phylum
Phaeocystaceae
rank: family
Chrysophyceae
rank: class
Raphidophyceae
rank: class
Cryptophyceae
rank: class
Pedinellaceae
rank: family
Thalassiosiraceae
rank: family
Pterospermataceae
rank: family
Eutreptiaceae
rank: family
Thalassionematales
rank: order
Gymnodiniales
rank: order
Pyramimonadophyceae
rank: class
Lithodesmiales
rank: order
Striatellales
rank: order
Thalassionemataceae
rank: family
Chlorodendrales
rank: order
Annelida
rank: phylum
Hilleaceae
rank: family
Eutreptiales
rank: order
Polychaeta
rank: class
Coscinodiscales
rank: order
Biddulphiaceae
rank: family
Dinophysaceae
rank: family
Fragilariales
rank: order
Dictyochales
rank: order
Coscinodiscaceae
rank: family
Caecitellales
rank: order
Chordata
rank: phylum
Triceratiaceae
rank: family
Chattonellaceae
rank: family
Actinomonadaceae
rank: family
Attheyaceae
rank: family
Copelata
rank: order
Noctilucales
rank: order
Acanthoecidae
rank: family
Chaetocerotanae incertae sedis
rank: order
Thalassiosirales
rank: order
Coccolithophyceae
rank: class
Bigyra
rank: phylum
Oligotrichea
rank: class
Tabellariaceae
rank: family
Melosirales
rank: order
Cyclotrichiida
rank: order
Pennales
rank: order
Myzozoa
rank: phylum
Protoperidiniaceae
rank: family
Geminigeraceae
rank: family
Chlorophyta
rank: phylum
Dictyochophyceae
rank: class
Ochromonadaceae
rank: family
Pyrenomonadales
rank: order
Corethrales
rank: order
Cercozoa
rank: phylum
Ebriales
rank: order
Thoracosphaerales
rank: order
Telonemida
rank: order
Cryptophyta
rank: phylum
Choanozoa
rank: phylum
Stephanopyxidaceae
rank: family
Bicosoecophyceae
rank: class
Heterokontophyta
rank: phylum
Triceratiales
rank: order
Ochromonadales
rank: order
Dinobryaceae
rank: family
Chaetocerotaceae
rank: family
Euglenophyceae
rank: class
Skeletonemaceae
rank: family
Thoracosphaeraceae
rank: family
Lithodesmiaceae
rank: family
Choreotrichida
rank: order
Asterolampraceae
rank: family
Chattonellales
rank: order
Chrysochromulinaceae
rank: family
Leptocylindraceae
rank: family
Pyramimonadaceae
rank: family
Pyrocystaceae
rank: family
Corethraceae
rank: family
Codonosigaceae
rank: family
Acanthoecida
rank: order
Naviculales
rank: order
Chlorodendraceae
rank: family
Noctilucaceae
rank: family
Dinophysales
rank: order
Fritillariidae
rank: family
Radiozoa
rank: phylum
Prorocentrales
rank: order
Chromulinales
rank: order
Rhizosoleniales
rank: order
Bacillariales
rank: order
Ebriaceae
rank: family
Plantae
rank: kingdom
Animalia
rank: kingdom
Naviculaceae
rank: family
Oxytoxaceae
rank: family
Paraliales
rank: order
Prymnesiaceae
rank: family
Protozoa
rank: kingdom
Achnanthales
rank: order
Pyramimonadales
rank: order
Tovelliales
rank: order
Ceratiaceae
rank: family
Kinetoplastea
rank: class
Appendicularia
rank: class
Litostomatea
rank: class
Leptocylindrales
rank: order
Prorocentraceae
rank: family
Pleurosigmataceae
rank: family
Prymnesiales
rank: order
Rhizosoleniaceae
rank: family
Choanoflagellatea
rank: class
Chlorodendrophyceae
rank: class
Licmophoraceae
rank: family
Thecofilosea
rank: class
Euglenozoa
rank: phylum
Telonemea
rank: class
Mesodiniidae
rank: family
Gyrodiniaceae
rank: family
Cafeteriaceae
rank: family
Pedinellales
rank: order
Copepoda
rank: class
Peridiniales
rank: order
Metromonadea incertae sedis
rank: order
Metromonadea
rank: class
Gonyaulacaceae
rank: family
Hemiaulaceae
rank: family
Biddulphiales
rank: order
Xanthophyceae
rank: class
Phaeocystales
rank: order
Tovelliaceae
rank: family
Hemiaulales
rank: order
Foraminifera
rank: phylum
Amphidiniales
rank: order
Bacillariophyceae
rank: class
Cryptomonadales
rank: order
Ochrophyta
rank: phylum
Craspedida
rank: order
Melosiraceae
rank: family
Amphidiniaceae
rank: family
Ciliophora
rank: phylum
Bacillariaceae
rank: family
Asterolamprales
rank: order
Mischococcales
rank: order
Licmophorales
rank: order

Geographic Coverages

In the northern Salish Sea, data were collected at station QU39 (50.03N, -125.10W). On the central coast, data were collected at three locations: within a fjord (River’s Inlet, DFO2, 51.52N, -127.56W), Fitz-Hugh Channel (KC10, 51.65N, -127.95W) and on the shelf (QCS01, 51.71N, -128.24W).

Bibliographic Citations

Del Bel Belluz, J., Peña, M.A., Jackson, J.M., Nemcek, N. (2021). Phytoplankton composition and environmental drivers in the Northern Strait of Georgia (Salish Sea), British Columbia, Canada. Estuaries and Coasts, 44(5), 1419-1439. 10.1007/s12237-020-00858-2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00858-2
Edler, L., and Elbrächter, M. (2010). “The utermöhl method for quantitative phytoplankton analysis,” in Microscopic and Molecular Methods for Quantitative Phytoplankton Analysis, eds B. Karlson, C. Cusack, and E. Bresnan (Paris: UNESCO), 13–20. - https://repository.oceanbestpractices.org/bitstream/handle/11329/303/WKNCT_Handbook_ver5May2010_2.pdf?sequence=1#page=17%22
Hobson, L.A., Galbraith, M. (2018). Protistan plankton dynamics and composition in a turbulent, nutrient-rich region of the Salish Sea, 1997-2014. (unpublished). - https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17368.75522
Williams, O.J., Beckett, R.E. & Maxwell, D.L. (2016). Marine phytoplankton preservation with Lugol’s: a comparison of solutions. J Appl Phycol 28, 1705–1712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0704-4 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0704-4
McLaskey, A. K., Forster, I., Del Bel Belluz, J., & Hunt, B. P. V. (2022). A high-resolution time series of particulate matter fatty acids reveals temporal dynamics of the composition and quality available to zooplankton in a temperate coastal ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102843 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102843

Contacts

Justin Del Bel Belluz
originator
position: Research Scientist
Hakai Institute
1010 Langley St.
Victoria
V8W1V7
British Columbia
CA
email: justin.belluz@hakai.org
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3536-9508

Justin Del Bel Belluz
metadata author
position: Research Scientist
Hakai Institute
1010 Langley St.
Victoria
V8W1V7
British Columbia
CA
email: justin.belluz@hakai.org
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3536-9508

Justin Del Bel Belluz
administrative point of contact
position: Research Scientist
Hakai Institute
1010 Langley St.
Victoria
V8W1V7
British Columbia
CA
email: justin.belluz@hakai.org
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3536-9508