Abstract
Analysis of material collected in settlement traps at regular intervals over a period of a year gave an estimate of the annual organic input to the bottom sediment of about 28 gC/m2 year, which is a little less than one third of the primary production in the overlying water column. The aerobic benthic community metabolism, estimated from in situ respiration measurements, was not significantly different from the carbon input. The rate of release of ammonia from the sediment was also measured in situ and would be sufficient to supply the greater part of the required input of inorganic nitrogen for photosynthesis in the water column.
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Communicated by J.H.S. Blaxter, Oban
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Davies, J.M. Energy flow through the benthos in a Scottish Sea Loch. Mar. Biol. 31, 353–362 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392092
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392092