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Species-specific sedimentation and sinking velocities of diatoms

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Abstract

Sedimentation rates were determined for various diatom species, and both average and maximum sinking velocities of sedimenting diatoms were calculated during a spring bloom investigation in the central Baltic Sea in 1986. Up to 25 and 50% of theChaetoceros spp. andThalassiosira levanderi populations, respectively, sedimented daily. Daily sedimentation rates of other diatoms, dinoflagellates andMesodinium rubrum, however, were less than 1% of their respective standing stocks. TheT. levanderi population was divided into two subpopulations: while one was sinking, the second was actively dividing (recognizable by paired-cell stages) with a specific growth rate of >0.2 to 0.3 d−1. These paired cells were never found in sediment trap samples. The average sinking velocity ofChaetoceros spp. was 15 to 30 m d−1; that ofT. levanderi was higher. The maximum sinking velocity of cells was at least 70 m d−1. According to these observations, the formation of aggregates (which enhances sinking velocity), and their sedimentation, represent a highly selective process. This indicates that diatom aggregates do not act as roving filters, sweeping the water clear while sinking.

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  1. Institut für Meereskunde, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, W-2300, Kiel, Germany

    U. Passow

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  1. U. Passow
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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

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Passow, U. Species-specific sedimentation and sinking velocities of diatoms. Mar. Biol. 108, 449–455 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313655

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