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Production of picoplankton and small nanoplankton in the Celtic Sea

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Abstract

A significant proportion of the total primary production in the Celtic Sea (50°30′N; 07°00′W) has been found to be due to picoplankton and small nanoplankton. In July, August and October, 1982, 20 to 25% of the 14C fixed in primary production was in organisms >5 μm, 35 to 40% was in organisms <5–1 μm and 20 to 30% was in organisms<1 μm. Bacterial production was estimated by the incorporation of 3H and would account for less than 10% of the production in the <1–>0.2 μm fraction; therefore, production in the <1–>0.2 μm fraction was the result of photosynthesis per se by picoplankton and could not have been due to heterotrophic bacteria utilizing exudates from larger phytoplankton. Time-course experiments demonstrated some transfer of label from the <1–>0.2μm fraction to the >5 μm fraction, presumably by grazing, but again most of the production in this fraction was the result of photosynthesis by organisms larger than 5 μm and was not due to grazing by heterotrophic microflagellates on smaller phytoplankton.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Marine Environmental Research, Natural Environment Research Council, Prospect Place, The Hoe, PL 13 DH, Plymouth, Devon, England

    I. R. Joint & A. J. Pomroy

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  1. I. R. Joint
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  2. A. J. Pomroy
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Communicated by J. Mauchline, Oban

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Joint, I.R., Pomroy, A.J. Production of picoplankton and small nanoplankton in the Celtic Sea. Mar. Biol. 77, 19–27 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393206

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