Abstract:

This dataset reports plankton species relative abundance from sites off the Florida Panhandle Bight at the head of DeSoto Canyon. Plankton samples were collected from 9 offshore shelf sites October 13-15, 2012. This dataset reports the location, date, time, and length of tow for each sample. Plankton species were categorized as Ceratium spp., Dinophysis spp., other dinoflagellates, Chaetoceros spp., Rhizosolenia/Guinardia spp, Eucampia/Hemiaulus spp., other chain-forming diatoms, Thalassionema spp., Nitzschioid diatoms, other diatoms, Cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp.), and zooplankton. Abundances were recorded as individual counts as well as percentages of total sample.

Suggested Citation:

Nienow, James. 2014. Plankton relative abundance data for samples collected during the R/V Bellows Cruise of DeSoto Canyon, October 2012 (BE-1307). Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7ZC80V4

Purpose:

To evaluate the biological diversity and trophic interactions among organisms ranging from primary producers to apex predators and from the deep-sea benthos to the coast. These data contribute to a food web model used to determine risks to ecosystem structure and function and regional economies following from extreme anthropogenic events (e.g., discharged and background hydrocarbon) and adaptive management strategies.

Data Parameters and Units:

site (station ID), date/time (MM-DD-YYYY/hh:mm, EDT), length of tow (meters), plankton species, count (diatoms and dinoflagellates counted as cells, cyanobacteria as colonies/filaments, zooplankton as individuals), percentage (percentage of total plankton represented by each group). Sampling sites, location and depth of vertical tows are as follows: Station P1: 30o 15’ N; 87o 15’ W - 15 meters Station P3: 29o 25’ N; 87o 15’ W - 22 meters Station P5: 29o 55’ N; 87o 15’ W - 49 meters Station P7: 29o 45’ N; 87o 15’ W - 100 meters Station C1: 30o 20’ N; 86o 40’ W - 18 meters Station C3: 30o 10’ N; 86o 40’ W - 25 meters Station C5: 30o 00’ N; 86o 40’ W - 95 meters Station C7: 29o 50’ N; 86o 40’ W - 100 meters Station D1: 29o 17.6' N, 87o 0.00' W – 100 meters

Methods:

net mesh size 25 micrometers and diameter 0.5 meters

Individual Files: