Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS08 Processes at the Benthic Interface (Environmental Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 12:00:00 PM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Cahoon, L, B, UNC Wilmington, Wilmington, USA, cahoon@uncwil.edu

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC MICROALGAL BIOMASS AND PRODUCTION

Review of published data on benthic microalgal production shows that annual gross production in marine habitats totals approximately 500 million tons of carbon. Although most benthic microalgal biomass is found in depths less than 20 m, there is evidence that benthic microalgae extend substantially deeper, especially in clear waters. Factors limiting the distribution of benthic microalgae include light flux, adaptation to low light, sediment characteristics, physical disturbance, and grazing. However, there are substantial gaps in the geographic and depth distributions of field studies of benthic microalgae that restrict our understanding of their biomass, production, and limiting factors.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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