Marine Biology Commons^™

Picoplankton/Phytoplankton Dynamics In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Leslie E. Dorworth

OES Theses and Dissertations

The biomass distribution of the three main size components of the phytoplankton (net, nano, and picoplankton) was examined in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Work was done at two stations during the spring and neap tidal cycles when freshwater flow into the bay was at its seasonal minimum and maximum. Emphasis was placed on how the picoplankton ( < 2.0 μm, > 0.2 μm) reacted during the sampling period.

Picoplankton made up approximately 13% of the total biomass, during the observed time period, at the more oceanic station. The picoplankton fraction contributed up to 16% of the total biomass at the estuarine station. From this …

Microbenthic Algal Production Of An Intertidal Sandflat In Little Creek Harbor, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Clayton Barry Shedrow

OES Theses and Dissertations

Estimated annual net microbenthic algal production of an intertidal sandflat on Little Creek Inlet, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was 105 g C/m². Seasonally, primary production was greatest during the summer and fall periods (38 and 49 g C/m², respectively). Productivity was found to vary directly with water temperature and standing crop of benthic diatoms, and inversely with incident solar radiation and standing crops of sedimentary chlorophyll 'a' and 'c'. Orthophosphate and nitrate-N appeared to be limiting factors, nitrate-N more so than orthophosphate. Mean annual net photosynthetic efficiency (based upon total light) for the microphytobenthic community was 0.09%. …