Biomass and trophic structure of the plankton community in subtropical and temperate waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean

This study examined the biomass structure of autotrophic and heterotrophic plankton along a trophic gradient in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in an attempt to understand planktonic food web structure. Autotrophic biomass exceeded that of heterotrophic organisms in all sampling regions, but with les...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of oceanography 2012-06, Vol.68 (3), p.473-482
Main Authors: Lee, Chang-Rae, Choi, Keun-Hyung, Kang, Hyung-Ku, Yang, Eun Jin, Noh, Jae Hoon, Choi, Dong Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Biomass
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Food chains
Food webs
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Marine
Marine biology
Oceanography
Oceans
Original Article
Phytoplankton
Plankton
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Summary:This study examined the biomass structure of autotrophic and heterotrophic plankton along a trophic gradient in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in an attempt to understand planktonic food web structure. Autotrophic biomass exceeded that of heterotrophic organisms in all sampling regions, but with lesser contribution to total planktonic biomass at stations of higher phytoplankton biomass, including the northern East China Sea, compared to the regions of lower phytoplankton biomass. The proportion of the biomass of heterotrophic bacteria, nanoflagellates (HNF), and dinoflagellates (HDF) relative to that of phytoplankton was all inversely related to phytoplankton biomass, but positive relationships were observed for both ciliates and mesozooplankton. Mesozooplankton biomass inclined greater than phytoplankton along the gradient of phytoplankton biomass, with biomass rise being most closely associated with ciliate and HDF biomass and, to a lesser degree, with large phytoplankton (>3 μm). Both bacteria and picophytoplankton were significantly and positively related to the biomass ratio of mesozooplankton to the sum of HDF and ciliates (i.e., proxy of mesozooplankton predation on protozoans), but no positive relationship was apparent either for HNF or for large phytoplankton. Such relationships may result from predation relief on lower food webs associated with mesozooplankton feeding on protistan plankton.
ISSN:0916-8370
1573-868X
DOI:10.1007/s10872-012-0111-2