Estuarine Phytoplankton Monitoring to Meet Undergraduate and Faculty Research Objectives

Phytoplankton monitoring is being used at Savannah State University to provide research experience for all upper-level marine science majors, to provide in-depth senior research projects, to engage lower-level students in marine science activities beyond the classroom, and to collect baseline data for faculty research proposals. The framework is built around a commitment to maintain a tidal creek monitoring site for larger phytoplankton (diatoms and dinoflagellates >20 microns) as part of the Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (SEPMN). Field supplies and on-going training are supported by SEPMN. Marine science majors monitor a series of Wilmington River estuary sites as part of a group research project in an upper-level course offered each spring. The group research assignment includes the writing of a full research report with citations from the primary literature and peer review of drafts. A few students are encouraged to pursue their senior research project in this field and maintain sampling over the remainder of the year. They have freedom to design their own project in the broader context of eutrophication, high frequency temporal variability, seasonality, drought/flood cycles, comparisons between estuaries of differing river discharge or extension of sampling offshore. Senior researchers help to train freshmen/sophomore field assistants to insure consistency in the monitoring from one year to the next. Student data from the Wilmington River estuary cover the greatest portion of an annual cycle. Diatoms far outnumbered dinoflagellates at all estuarine sampling locations under both winter and summer conditions. There is a seasonal transition in this estuary from dominance of Asterionella sp. in February to Chaetoceros sp. in June. Chaetoceros sp. were also dominant in the lower Savannah River estuary in June. Dominance of diatoms in these estuaries rather than dinoflagellates is a sign of a relatively healthy ecosystem. These diatoms, however, did include at least one genus associated with eutrophication when present in high cell densities, Pseudo-nitzschia. Pseudo-nitzschia sp. were present in both winter and summer months in the Wilmington River estuary but were only observed to be dominant (41 %) at the most seaward site in late July.