Noctiluca scintillans: Dynamics, Size Measurements and Relationships With Small Soft-Bodied Plankton in the Belgian Part of the North Sea

Climate driven changes and anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment have been shown to favor the increase in certain potentially harmful species. Among them, Noctiluca scintillans, a common dinoflagellate, often blooms during warm summers and is known to affect plankton communities. In this study, we assessed the dynamics in abundance and cell size of N. scintillans as well as the relationship between N. scintillans and small soft-bodied zooplankton in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS), since negative correlations between these plankton groups have been previously reported for... Mehr ...