Role of herbivory in controlling phytoplankton abundance: annual pigment budget for a temperate marine fjord

Abstract

An annual pigment budget was constructed for Dabob Bay, Washington (USA) by comparing the downward vertical loss of phytoplankton pigments (chlorophyll and pheopigments) to the production of chlorophyll within the euphotic zone. The vertical flux of pigments was measured with sediment traps deployed at intervals of 1 to 6 wk over a 2.5 yr period yielding 763 d of trap exposure (28 November 1978–16 June 1981). The production rate of chlorophyll was calculated from measurements of algal specific growth rates, chlorophyll (chl) crops, primary production (as carbon) and appropriate C: chl ratios. Sixty one to 77% of the annual chlorophyll production was accounted for by the vertical flux of pheopigments resulting from herbivorous zooplankton grazing (macrozooplankton). Algal sinking, represented by downward chlorophyll flux, accounted for only 5 to 6% of the annual chlorophyll production. The remaining fraction of chlorophyll production was estimated to be consumed by small herbivores (microzooplankton), whose fecal material contributes to the suspended pool of pheopigments found in the euphotic zone. The suspended pheopigments are continuously removed by photodegradation. In Dabob Bay, the major process controlling phytoplankton abundance is zooplankton grazing and it appears that the ultimate fate of most phytoplankton is to be consumed by herbivores.