Contribution of benthic microalgae to the whole water algal biomass and primary production in Suo Nada, the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Biomass and primary productivity of benthic microalgae (BMA) and planktonic algae in Suo Nada, the western part of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan were compared in terms of unit area with regard to their seasonal and spatial distribution in 2002. Judging from light compensation depth and water depth, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of oceanography 2009-06, Vol.65 (3), p.311-323
Main Authors: Sarker, Md. Jahangir, Yamamoto, Tamiji, Hashimoto, Toshiya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Benthic microalgae
Biomass
Compensation depth
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Marine
Microalgae
Oceanography
Original Articles
Plankton
planktonic algae
Primary production
Spatial distribution
Studies
Suo Nada
Water column
Water depth
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Summary:Biomass and primary productivity of benthic microalgae (BMA) and planktonic algae in Suo Nada, the western part of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan were compared in terms of unit area with regard to their seasonal and spatial distribution in 2002. Judging from light compensation depth and water depth, the southwestern part of Suo Nada was considered to be a potential habitat for BMA. Whereas the contribution of sedimented planktonic algae was high in biomass at the sediment surface, BMA was obviously significant both in biomass and primary production in the shallow southwestern part. However, the contribution of BMA to the total biomass in the entire water column was 7% in winter and 2% in summer. The primary production of BMA varied between 4.0 and 74.0 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ in the southwestern part, accounting for 2-12% of the whole water column primary production. The ecological roles of BMA in the Suo Nada ecosystem are discussed, such as reduction of benthic nutrient flux, oxidation of surface sediments and feed for higher animals.
ISSN:0916-8370
1573-868X
DOI:10.1007/s10872-009-0029-5