Properties of the dynamics of intertidal microphytobenthic biomass

Type Article
Date 2002-12
Language English
Author(s) Blanchard Gerard, Simon Bouhet B, Guarini J
Affiliation(s) Univ Rochelle, Lab Biol & Environm Marins, EA3168, F-17000 La Rochelle, France.
IFREMER, CNRS, UMR10, CREMA, F-17137 Lhoumeau, France.
Source Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (0025-3154) (Cambridge University Press), 2002-12 , Vol. 82 , N. 6 , P. 1027-1028
DOI 10.1017/S0025315402006574
WOS© Times Cited 21
Keyword(s) Diurnal variation, Chlorophyll concentration, Microphytobenthic biomass
Abstract The short-term variability of intertidal microphytobenthic biomass was characterized by analysing a 30-day time series encompassing two spring-neap tide cycles. Chlorophyll-a concentration was measured every day at the beginning and at the end of every diurnal exposure periods. Microalgal biomass exhibited predictible net increases during diurnal exposures due to a positive production-loss balance. In addition, our data series shows that after an environmental disturbance, even though biomass decreased strongly, it converged quickly back to its initial steady-state oscillation pattern. This study supports some fundamental properties of the dynamics of microphytobenthic biomass, as previously predicted in our mathematical model of primary production.
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