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LINKAGE BETWEEN MICROZOOPLANKTON GRAZING AND PHYTOPLANKTON GROWTH IN A GULF OF MEXICO ESTUARY.
Citation:
Murrell, M C., R S. Stanley, E M. Lores, G T. Didonato, AND D A. Flemer. LINKAGE BETWEEN MICROZOOPLANKTON GRAZING AND PHYTOPLANKTON GROWTH IN A GULF OF MEXICO ESTUARY. ESTUARIES 25(1):19-29, (2002).
Description:
Microzooplankton dilution grazing experiments were conducted with water collected from Pensacola Bay, Florida (USA) on 12 dates at 2 sites. Statistically significant grazing rates were observed in 22 of 24 experiments. Grazing rates in Upper Bay and Lower Bay were similar, averaging 0.54 and 0.51 d-1, respectively. Phytoplankton growth rates were also similar at the two sites, averaging 1.02 and 1.00 d-1 at Upper Bay and Lower Bay respectively. Phytoplankton growth rates usually exceeded grazing rates by about a factor of two; however, microzooplankton grazing represented a significant mortality for phytoplankton. A literature synthesis suggests a widespread linkage between phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing that span a wide variety of aquatic environments. While individual growth and grazing rates are variable, growth frequently exceeds grazing by about two-fold. This implies that the effect of microzooplankton is similar across a wide variety of aquatic systems.