Interpopulation dynamics between Acartia clausi (Copepoda) and Noctiluca scintillans (Dinoflagellata) in the Bosphorus area of the Black and the Marmara Seas

Figures & data

Figure 1. Positions of the sampling stations: Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait (BB); Marmara Sea near the Bosphorus Strait (MB); Prince Islands (MP).

Table I. Total biomass (B, mg m⁻²) and the share of dead Acartia clausi (%) in the Marmara Sea near the Prince Islands and near the Bosphorus Strait, and in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait.

Date	Prince Islands		Southern Bosphorus		Black Sea
	B	% of dead individuals	B	% of dead individuals	B	% of dead individuals
April 2005	765	9.1	–	–	–	–
October 2005	201.4	66.1	10.1	3.2	2349.1	0
November 2006	101.8	57.1	420.1	25.8	502.8	0
February 2007	2.9	24.1	38.6	20.2	–	–
June 2007	346.9	25.5	287.2	57.4	701.4	7.7
November 2007	126.5	22.9	22.5	80	613.2	0.6
April 2008	351.4	16.7	1898.2	12.9	268.2	2.8
October 2008	1.7	22.5	25.7	23.9	336.3	10.8
November 2008	973.6	22.2	830.9	56.8	127.8	12.7
December 2008	121.5	–	136.6	–	190.4	–
May 2009	175	15.2	364	6.3	–	–

Figure 2. Age structure of Acartia clausi population in the Marmara Sea (A) near the Prince Islands in the layers 0–20 m (∇), 20–50 m (●), 50–150 m (∆), near the Bosphorus Strait (B) in the layers 0–15 m (∇), 15–30 m (●), 30–50 m (∆) and in the Black Sea (C) near the Bosphorus Strait in the layers 0–50 m (∇) and 50–80 m (∆) in April 2008. CI–CV: the first to fifth copepodite stages; M: males; F: females.

Figure 3. Acartia clausi. Correlations between the share (%) of females near the Prince Islands (MP) and the share of females in the Black Sea (BB) near the Bosphorus Strait (А), between total population abundance (ind. m⁻²) in the Marmara Sea near the Bosphorus Strait (MB) and total population abundance in the MP (●) and BB (○) (B), between the share of the copepodites I–IV in the MB and the share of females in the MP (C) during 2005–2009.

Figure 4. A, Regional changes in the numbers of Noctiluca scintillans in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait (BB), in the Marmara Sea near the Bosphorus Strait (MB) and near the Prince Islands (MP). B, Correlations between the numbers of Noctiluca scintillans in the MB and MP (●), and in the MB and BB (○).

Figure 5. Correlation between the number of Noctiluca scintillans and the number of dead Acartia clausi females near the Bosphorus Strait in the Marmara Sea (A), and correlation between the biomass of dead Acartia clausi females near the Prince Islands and the total biomass of Acartia clausi females near the Bosphorus Strait (В).