Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Ammonia and phosphate excretion by zooplankton from the inshore waters of the Great Barrier Reef. II. Their in situ contributions to nutrient regeneration

T Ikeda, JH Carleton, AW Mitchell and P Dixon

Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 33(4) 683 - 698
Published: 1982

Abstract

Zooplankton excretion was estimated by combining biomass data with experimental laboratory data on excretion rates at three stations, characterized by low nutrient levels, in the inshore waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Hourly ammonia excretion (as nitrogen) by net zooplankton (>205 µ) was calculated to range from 11.9 to 22.6 µ m-3 or from 1.6 to 5.0 g m-2 per year, and hourly phosphate excretion (as phosphorus) from 1.4 to 2.8 µ m-3 or from 0.16 to 0.63 g m-2 per year. Hourly excretion of ammonia by microzooplankton ( < 205 µ) was calculated to be 2.6 µ m-3 (as nitrogen) and of phosphate 0.55 µ m-3 (as phosphorus), values that were 15 and 27% of the excretion by net zooplankton, respectively. Combined excretion rates by net zooplankton and microzooplankton could supply only 9.0-29.2% of the nitrogen and 6.6-25.6% of the phosphorus for an assumed yearly primary production of carbon of 100 g m-2 (= 17.6 g m-2 of nitrogen and 2.5 g m-2 of phosphorus). Calculations from an empirical equation relating temperature to oxygen consumption by a bottom community indicated a high potential for benthic nutrient regeneration in reef inshore waters (27.1 g m-2 per year, as nitrogen). The bottom community therefore appears to be the most important source of nutrient regeneration within the area studied.

https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9820683

© CSIRO 1982

Committee on Publication Ethics


Export Citation Get Permission

View Dimensions

View Altmetrics