Seasonal distribution of species composition, cell abundance and biomass of phytoplankton of the Caspian Sea were investigated in 2005. This survey were fulfilled in 6 transects and 26 stations A total of 260 samples were collected during winter to autumn in the southern part of Caspian Sea. Totally, 163 species of phytoplankton were identified (71 species Bacillariophyta, 31 species Chlorophy...

Phytoplankton constitutes the primary producers of aquatic ecosystems and represents the food chain base that supports the commercial fisheries of most water bodies. Nowadays, there is lack of information on phytoplankton assemblages of most reservoirs in Africa. To contribute with this knowledge, this study was carried out to determine the density and diversity of seasonal variations of phytop...

Environmental characteristics and phytoplankton community structure were investigated in two aquaculture areas in Dapeng Cove of Daya Bay, South China Sea, between April 2005 and June 2006. Phytoplankton abundance ranged between 5.0 and 8877.5 cells/mL, with an average of 751.8 cells/mL. The seasonal cycle of phytoplankton were demonstrated by frequent oscillations, with recurrent high abundanc...

Bottle assays and large-scale fertilization experiments have demonstrated that, in the Southern Ocean, iron often controls the biomass and the biodiversity of primary producers. To grow, phytoplankton need numerous other trace metals (micronutrients) required for the activity of key enzymes and other intracellular functions. However, little is known of the potential these other trace elements h...

Phytoplankton requires light for photosynthesis, but most phytoplankton species are heavier than water and sink. How can these sinking species persist? Here we show, by means of an advection-di usion-reaction equation of light-limited phytoplankton, that the answer lies in the turbulent motion of water that re-disperses phytoplankton over the vertical water column. More speci cally, we show tha...

Toxic or allelopathic compounds liberated by toxin-producing phytoplankton (TPP) acts as a strong mediator in plankton dynamics. On an analysis of a set of phytoplankton biomass-data that have been collected by our group in the North-West part of the Bay of Bengal, and by analysis of a three-component mathematical model under a constant as well as a stochastic environment, we explore the role o...

We suggest a way to estimate phytoplankton respiration separately from heterotrophic respiration. The analysis is based on three previous observations: (1) that carbon loss in the plankton overnight is phytoplankton respiration; (2) that phytoplankton respiration occurs during the day at the same rate as at night; and (3) that uptake of C estimates net primary production. Based on these three f...

The term plankton refers to the freely floating and weakly swimming organisms within aquatic environment. The plant species commonly known as phytoplankton are unicellular and microscopic in size. Phytoplankton have a significant utility in marine life and they play a vital role at the base of the marine food chain. They also control the global carbon cycle which has a significant impact on the...

Phytoplankton biomass and productivity have been continuously monitored from ocean color satellites for over a decade. Yet, the most widely used empirical approach for estimating chlorophyll a (Chl) from satellites can be in error by a factor of 5 or more. Such variability is due to differences in absorption and backscattering properties of phytoplankton and related concentrations of colored-di...

The EU-water framework directive aims at nutrient reductions, since anthropogenically induced eutrophication is a major threat for coastal waters. However, phytoplankton biomass in southern Baltic Sea coastal water bodies (CWB) remains high and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Therefore, a CWB data set was analysed regarding changes in phytoplankton biomass and nutrient concen...