The zooplankton of Mgazana, a mangrove estuary in Transkei, Southern Africa
Wooldridge, T. (1977). The zooplankton of Mgazana, a mangrove estuary in Transkei, Southern Africa. Zool. Afr. 12(2): 307-322
In: Zoologica africana. Balkema: Cape Town. ISSN 0044-5096, more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Zooplankton
Environmental effects
Population characteristics > Biomass
Temporal variations > Periodic variations > Seasonal variations
Water bodies > Inland waters > Wetlands > Swamps > Mangrove swamps
Acartia natalensis Connell & Grindley, 1974 [WoRMS]; Mesopodopsis africana O. Tattersall, 1952 [WoRMS]; Oithona brevicornis Giesbrecht, 1891 [WoRMS]
PSW, South Africa [Marine Regions]
Brackish water |
| Abstract |
Mgazana, a mangrove estuary in Transkei, was investigated from May 1972 to March 1973 at six-week intervals. Salinities were consistently >25% in the middle and lower estuary. In the upper estuary the salinity varies between 4 and 29%. Water temperatures varied between 15 . 5°C and 28°C. One hundred and fifteen taxa of zooplankton organisms were recorded in the samples. The copepods Acartia natalensis and Oithona brevicornis reached high population densities and numbers exceeding 100 000/m3 of water were recorded. Mysids were major contributors to zooplankton biomass. A maximum biomass of 1 200 mg/m3 was recorded in February in the middle estuary and was attributed to the mysid Mesopodopsis africana. Species of mysids showed clear seasonal and spatial patterns of distribution in the estuary. |
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