Microzooplankton grazing in a coastal embayment off Concepción, Chile, (∼36° S) during non-upwelling conditions

Abstract

The impact of grazing by natural assemblages of microzooplankton was estimated in an upwelling area (Concepcion, Chile) during the non-upwelling season in 2003 and 2004. Seawater dilution experiments using chlorophyll a (Chl a) as a tracer were used to estimate daily rates of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing. Initial Chl a concentrations ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 mg Chl a m -3 and phytoplankton prey biomass and abundance were numerically dominated by components 100%) during the non-upwelling period.