Shifts in bacterioplankton community structure between dry and wet seasons in a tropical estuary strongly affected by riverine discharge.

Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems in the world and are highly dynamic due to the interaction of freshwater and seawater, which results in strong spatial gradients in physico-chemical conditions. Bacterioplankton play a central role in these systems, driving the fluxes of carbon and energy, and being central for contaminant removal in human-impacted areas. Most studies on bacterioplankton dynamics have been carried out in temperate estuaries, and they show that salinity is a major factor driving bacterioplankton distribution. Tropical estuaries, although largely understudied, experience drastic variations in river discharge between the dry and the rainy seasons, influencing the spatial distribution of the salinity gradient and thus likely impacting bacterioplankton communities. Using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, here we studied bacterial communities from the Nicoya's Gulf (Costa Rica), a large tropical estuary characterized by high riverine discharge during the rainy season, to explore seasonal changes in the spatial distribution and connectivity of these communities along the Gulf. Our results show pronounced differences in bacterial diversity and community structure between seasons and zones within the estuary (the shallow upper Gulf, the middle zone and the lower zone, located in the marine end of the estuary). Bacterial communities from the different regions were more similar during the rainy season, suggesting a larger degree of microbial connectivity likely driven by the fast water circulation fueled by the riverine discharge. In the dry season, Enterobacteriales and Cyanobacteria dominated bacterial communities, whereas in the rainy season Alphaproteobacteria was the dominant group. These contrasting seasonal trends were consistent with the seasonal variations observed in bacterial assemblages during a year at a single station in the upper region of the Gulf. We conclude that the Gulf is highly dynamic in both the spatial and temporal scale and that bacterioplankton communities are strongly influenced by the riverine and tidal inputs during both seasons. This study sheds light on the sources of variability in the structure of bacterial communities in tropical estuarine systems, an understudied type of aquatic ecosystem, and sets the basis to design further comprehensive studies on their microbial diversity.

Seasonal impact of grazing, viral mortality, resource availability and light on the group-specific growth rates of coastal Mediterranean bacterioplankton.

Estimation of prokaryotic growth rates is critical to understand the ecological role and contribution of different microbes to marine biogeochemical cycles. However, there is a general lack of knowledge on what factors control the growth rates of different prokaryotic groups and how these vary between sites and along seasons at a given site. We carried out several manipulation experiments during the four astronomical seasons in the coastal NW Mediterranean in order to evaluate the impact of grazing, viral mortality, resource competition and light on the growth and loss rates of prokaryotes. Gross and net growth rates of different bacterioplankton groups targeted by group-specific CARD-FISH probes and infrared microscopy (for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs, AAP), were calculated from changes in cell abundances. Maximal group-specific growth rates were achieved when both predation pressure and nutrient limitation were experimentally minimized, while only a minimal effect of viral pressure on growth rates was observed; nevertheless, the response to predation removal was more remarkable in winter, when the bacterial community was not subjected to nutrient limitation. Although all groups showed increases in their growth rates when resource competition as well as grazers and viral pressure were reduced, Alteromonadaceae consistently presented the highest rates in all seasons. The response to light availability was generally weaker than that to the other factors, but it was variable between seasons. In summer and spring, the growth rates of AAP were stimulated by light whereas the growth of the SAR11 clade (likely containing proteorhodopsin) was enhanced by light in all seasons. Overall, our results set thresholds on bacterioplankton group-specific growth and mortality rates and contribute to estimate the seasonally changing contribution of various bacterioplankton groups to the function of microbial communities. Our results also indicate that the least abundant groups display the highest growth rates, contributing to the recycling of organic matter to a much greater extent than what their abundances alone would predict.

Variación estacional de la composición proximal del mejillón Tagelus peruvianus (Bivalvia: Solecurtidae) del Golfo de Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Seasonal variation in proximate composition of mussels Tagelus peruvianus (Bivalvia: Solecurtidae) from the Gulf of Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Marine bivalves are a very important food source for human consumption, and species that has not been of traditional use as a fishery resource are gaining interest. Seasonal variation in proximate composition, condition index and energy or caloric content of the mussel Tagelus peruvianus were studied in the Gulf of Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. From November 2007 to October 2008, a total of 35 to 40 specimens per month were collected. The proximate composition using the AOAC methods was determined. Results showed that the condition index during December, January and May decreased, indicative of two spawning periods and one gonadal resting phase. Soft tissues were respectively characterized by protein (61.9±4.3%), carbohydrates (15.7±2.4%), ash (14.0±1.9%) and lipids (8.5±1.7%). The average caloric content was 5.0±0.1kcal/g. The results showed that the decrease in protein and fat percentage, and calories content, occurred during the spawning seasons. We suggest that T. peruvianus has an optimal nutritional value for human consumption because of the low-fat and moderate protein content. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (4): 1517-1523. Epub 2011 December 01.

La extracción del mejillón Tagelus peruvianus representa una actividad económica complementaria de los pescadores artesanales, es una de las especies de mayor pesca y consumo ya que son una fuente importante de proteína, minerales y vitaminas esenciales para la población humana. Por lo tanto, se estudió la variación estacional de su composición proximal, índice de condición y contenido energético. Mensualmente, entre noviembre de 2007 y octubre de 2008, se recolectaron de 35 a 40 especímenes. La composición proximal se determinó siguiendo la metodología recomendada por la AOAC. Los resultados mostraron que el índice de condición disminuyó en los meses de diciembre, enero y mayo, lo que indica que hay dos periodos de desove y una fase de reposo gonadal. El componente principal del mejillón es la proteína (61.9±4.3%), seguido de carbohidratos (15.7±2.4%), cenizas (14.0±1.9%) y lípidos (8.5±1.7%). El contenido calórico promedio fue de 5.0±0.1kcal/g. La disminución en los valores de proteínas, lípidos y calorías coinciden con los periodos de desove. Se puede concluir que T. peruvianus presenta valores nutricionales óptimos para el consumo humano, por su bajo contenido de grasa y su aceptable contenido proteico.

[Seasonal variation in proximate composition of mussels Tagelus peruvianus (Bivalvia: Solecurtidae) from the Gulf of Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica]. / Variación estacional de la composición proximal del mejillón Tagelus peruvianus (Bivalvia: Solecurtidae) del Golfo de Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Marine bivalves are a very important food source for human consumption, and species that has not been of traditional use as a fishery resource are gaining interest. Seasonal variation in proximate composition, condition index and energy or caloric content of the mussel Tagelus peruvianus were studied in the Gulf of Nicoya, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. From November 2007 to October 2008, a total of 35 to 40 specimens per month were collected. The proximate composition using the AOAC methods was determined. Results showed that the condition index during December, January and May decreased, indicative of two spawning periods and one gonadal resting phase. Soft tissues were respectively characterized by protein (61.9 +/- 4.3%), carbohydrates (15.7 +/- 2.4%), ash (14.0 +/- 1.9%) and lipids (8.5 +/- 1.7%). The average caloric content was 5.0 +/- 0.1 kcal/g. The results showed that the decrease in protein and fat percentage, and calories content, occurred during the spawning seasons. We suggest that T. peruvianus has an optimal nutritional value for human consumption because of the low-fat and moderate protein content.