Abstract
Respiration of a sublittoral community was examined off Sapelo Island, Georgia, from July 1969 through July 1970. Total community respiration ranged from 53.7 ml O_2 m(—2)hr(—1) in January to 92.7 ml O_2 m(—2)hr(—1) in July. A positive correlation was found between community respiration and water temperature. Annual community respiration was estimated to be 676.6 liters O_2 m(—2)yr(—1). The macrofauna consisted of 103 species representing ten phyla. Species abundance ranged from 744 individuals/m2 in July to 14,213 individuals/m2 in March. Biomass (ash free dry wt) increased from 7.3 g/m2 in October to 20.2 g/m2 in March. Macrofaunal respiration comprised from 5 to 26% of community respiration. Bacteria were the major functional component of the community accounting for 30% to 60% of the total respiration. Meiofaunal—microfaunal—microfloral respiration contributed from 25% to 58% to total community respiration. Sediment chemical oxidation was responsible for 2.8 ml O_2 m(—2)hr(—1) in January to 8.5 ml O_2 m(—2)hr(—1) in July of the total oxygen uptake.
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