Impact of microzooplankton on the progression and fate of the spring bloom in fjords of northern Norway
The objective of the study was to determine the role of microzooplankton in the fate of primary production and progression of the spring phytoplankton bloom in high latitude fjords. The 3 fjords, Balsfjord, Malangen and Ullsfjord (Norway), varied in oceanic influence and in the rate of development o...
| Published in: | Aquatic Microbial Ecology |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2000
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11370/2ee6b0b8-7133-4963-a41c-e19367532a56 https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/2ee6b0b8-7133-4963-a41c-e19367532a56 https://doi.org/10.3354/ame022027 https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/67173245/a022p027.pdf |
| Summary: | The objective of the study was to determine the role of microzooplankton in the fate of primary production and progression of the spring phytoplankton bloom in high latitude fjords. The 3 fjords, Balsfjord, Malangen and Ullsfjord (Norway), varied in oceanic influence and in the rate of development of the spring bloom. The abundance of Phaeocystis pouchetii was relatively low in the spring of 1997 compared to previous years, and diatoms dominated the biomass of the phytoplankton assemblage in all 3 fjords. The mean biomass of microzooplankton in the top 20 m averaged 72, 66 and 80 mg C m(-3) and values integrated to 170 m averaged 4560, 4450 and 6820 mg C m(-2) in Balsfjord, Malangen and Ullsfjord, respectively. The composition of the microzooplankton was consistent among the fjords and over time, with the proportion of biomass split evenly between nanoflagellates, dinoflagellates and ciliates. Grazing rates of the microzooplankton community were measured with the dilution technique. The impact of microzooplankton grazing was similar among the fjords, accounting for on average 68, 63 and 55% of the production of the |
|---|