Primary production and standing crops of epipsammic and epipelic algae

Abstract

The ‘potential’ primary production of the epipelon and epipsammon of Shear Water has been estimated and related to standing crop parameters over a period of thirty months. Data have also been obtained for the ‘potential production’ of the flora in short cores from the same site. Standing crop and production of the epipsammon was always greater than that of the epipelon. The correlation between standing crop and production is closer for the epipelon than for the epipsammon owing to the retention of dead cells in the latter community.