Estimating the carbon biomass of marine net phytoplankton from abundance based on samples from China seas
Yang Yang A B , Xiaoxia Sun A C , Mingliang Zhu A , Xuan Luo A and Shan Zheng A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, P. R. China.
B University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
C Corresponding author. Email: xsun@qdio.ac.cn
Marine and Freshwater Research 68(1) 106-115 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15298
Submitted: 5 August 2015 Accepted: 10 November 2015 Published: 22 February 2016
Abstract
The relationship between carbon biomass and cell abundance in net phytoplankton was determined to improve standing stock research in marine ecology. Based on samples from six cruises in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, significant regression equations for all net phytoplankton cells, diatoms, dinoflagellates and each dominant genus were obtained. The relationships could be described by the equation log10 y = k × log10 x + b, where x represents cell abundance based on cell counts (cells m–3), y represents carbon biomass (μg C m–3), and k and b are constants. The values of k and b were 0.48 and 0.49 respectively for total net phytoplankton, 0.75 and –1.46 respectively for diatoms in summer, 0.54 and –0.11 respectively for diatoms in spring and autumn, and 0.92 and –0.90 respectively for dinoflagellates. Regression equations for Chaetoceros, Coscinodiscus, Pseudo-nitzschia, Skeletonema, Ceratium, Protoperidinium and Pyrophacus were also obtained. We suggest using these carbon biomass : cell abundance relationships established for net phytoplankton to assess phytoplankton standing stocks and for reanalysing historical data.
Additional keywords: diatom, dinoflagellate, dominant genus, regression relationship.
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