A Comparison of Phytoplankton Biomass Estimators and Their Environmental Correlates in the Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic) |
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| Authors: | N Jasprica M Cari&#; |
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| Institution: | Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Laboratory of Plankton Ecology, PO Box 39, HR-20001 Dubrovnik, Croatia. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. Phytoplankton biomass estimators – total cell number (CN), total cell volume (CV), chlorophyll a (Chl a ). phytoplankton organic carbon (PC), and their response to environmental variables, with a special emphasis on the vertical variability in the structure of the water column – were examined in the Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic). Correlations among biomass estimators as well as with physical-chemical parameters varied according to hydrodynamic characteristics of the water column. The amount of Chl a per cell ranged from 0.28.06–10-6μg during stratification to 0.7–2.0.10-6μg during the mixing period. Most frequent values for PC/Chl a ratios and for Chl a /CV in mixed natural phytoplankton populations were 20–25 and 1–2, respectively. |
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| Keywords: | Phytoplankton biomass environmental factors stratification mixing Southern Adriatic |
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