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Variability of phytoplankton and mesozooplankton biomass in the subtropical
and tropical Atlantic Ocean
Z. Z. Finenko1, S. A. Piontkovski1, 4,*, R.
Williams2, A. V. Mishonov3
1 Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, 2 Nakhimov Ave.,
Sevastopol 99011, Ukraine
2 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth PL1 3DH,
United Kingdom
3 Department of Oceanography, Texas A & M University, College
Station, Texas 77843-3146, USA
4 Present address: Marine Sciences Research Center, Stony Brook
University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5000, USA
Abstract
Data from over 40 yr (1950–1992) of expeditions to the Atlantic Ocean are
summarised in
the form of macroscale contour maps between 40°N and 40°S. The chl "a"
concentrations from the surface
and mesozooplankton in the upper layer (0 to 100 m) were analysed from 3992
casts and
1124 hauls respectively.
General agreement between chlorophyll concentrations
and mesozooplankton
biomass distributions was noted on an ocean basin scale. There were non-linear
relationships between
mean chlorophyll concentration within the 0 to 10 m layer and mesozooplankton
biomass within
the 0 to 100 m layer for summed data between December to May and June to
November.
A comparison
of the total biomass of mesozooplankton und phytoplankton, in carbon units,
indicated that this ratio
varied from 0.15 to 1 in the 0 to 100 m layer and, on average, the phytoplankton
biomass exceeded
twice that of mesozooplankton.
The seasonal cycles of phyto- and zooplankton
biomass for 6 provinces
of the tropical zone were qualitatively comparable.
Quantitative differences
were found in the seasonal
amplitudes, which were greater for the regions with nutrient enrichment of the
upper layer. Relationships
were established between phytoplankton and mesozooplankton biomass for 8
provinces.
Corresponding author. Email:
spiontkovski@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 250: 125–144, 2003
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