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Abstract
South San Francisco Bay, USA, is a shallow coastal embayment that receives large inputs of nutrients (N. P, Si) and small local inputs of freshwater. Phytoplankton dynamics are typically characterized by a spring bloom when surface chlorophyll a increases from < 5 to > 40 mg m-3. The bloom persists for 2 to 4 wk, and then dissipates. Phytoplankton biomass remains low (chlorophyll a < 5 mg m-3) from May through December, although light and nutrient availability are sufficient to sustain growth rates of 1 to 1.5 divisions d-1 in the expansive shallows. Transport processes apparently exert a small influence on phytoplankton biomass, and calculated zooplankton grazing accounts for only a small reduction in net rate of phytoplankton population growth in the shallows. However, suspension-feeding bivalves are sufficiently abundant to filter a volume equivalent to the volume of South Bay at least once daily. These observations suggest that grazing by benthos is the primary mechanism controlling phytoplankton biomass during summer and fall.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Does the benthos control phytoplankton biomass in South San Francisco Bay? |
| Series title | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
| Volume | 9 |
| Year Published | 1982 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Inter-Research |
| Contributing office(s) | San Francisco Bay-Delta, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Pacific Regional Director's Office |
| Description | 12 p. |
| First page | 191 |
| Last page | 202 |
| Time Range Start | 1980-01-01 |
| Time Range End | 1980-12-31 |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Other Geospatial | San Francisco Bay |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |