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BENTHIC SUSPENSION FEEDERS IN PENSACOLA BAY, FL: PRELIMINARY STUDIES CONCERNING IMPACTS ON PHYTOPLANKTON THROUGH GRAZING
Citation:
DiDonato, G. T. BENTHIC SUSPENSION FEEDERS IN PENSACOLA BAY, FL: PRELIMINARY STUDIES CONCERNING IMPACTS ON PHYTOPLANKTON THROUGH GRAZING. Presented at Gulf of Mexico Symposium 2000, Mobile, AL, 9-12 April 2000.
Description:
Cultural eutrophication in coastal habitats has become a crucial problem for resource managers and policymakers and a critical area of research in ecological science. Models of eutrophication have been developed for some coastal habitats (e.g., Chesapeake Bay), but research on many other shallow marine embayments is scarce and not synthesized. Recently estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico have become the focus of eutrophication research. The impact on phytoplankton by suspension feeding benthic macroinvertebrates is one topic under study. Evidence emerging worldwide suggests that suspension feeders, particularly bivalves, can remove a substantial amount of phytoplankton production in estuaries. The potential strength of this connection between benthic and pelagic habitats was examined in Pensacola Bay, Florida, a large, shallow estuary typical of the northern Gulf. Preliminary efforts to characterize the benthic fauna of Pensacola Bay utilized benthic samples collected in 1992, 1996, and 1998 as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Management and Assessment Program. Bivalve density data is similar to those reported for systems where a strong connection between benthic filter feeders and phytoplankton has been documented. This implies that benthic grazing may be a strong link between the benthos and phytoplankton.