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Estimating the grazing impact of marine micro-zooplankton

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Abstract

This paper describes a dilution technique for estimating the micro-zooplankton grazing impact on natural communities of marine phytoplankton. Experiments performed in coastal waters off Washington, USA (October, 1980), yield estimates of micro-zooplankton impact equivalent to 6 to 24% of phytoplankton standing biomass and 17 to 52% of production per day. Indirect evidence suggests that most of this impact is due to the feeding of copepod nauplii and tintinnids; in contrast, non-loricate ciliates, comprising 80 to 90% of numerical abundance, appeared to contribute little to phytoplankton mortality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Oceanography, WB-10, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, Washington, USA

    M. R. Landry & R. P. Hassett

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  1. M. R. Landry
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  2. R. P. Hassett
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Communicated by N.D. Holland, La Jolla

Contribution No. 1237 from the School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

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Landry, M.R., Hassett, R.P. Estimating the grazing impact of marine micro-zooplankton. Marine Biology 67, 283–288 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397668

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