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Journal of Plankton Research Vol.25 no.8 pp.991-997, 2003
© Oxford University Press 2003

SHORT COMMUNICATION

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in coral reef waters off Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan

Kuninao Tada*, Kazuhiko Sakai1, Yoshikatsu Nakano1, Akihiro Takemura1 and Shigeru Montani2

Kagawa University, Miki, Kita-Gun, Kagawa 761-0795, 1 Seseko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Sesoko, Motobu, Okinawa 905-0227 and 2 Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido 048-8611, Japan

* Corresponding Author: tada{at}ag.kagawa-u.ac.jp

The seasonal dynamics of size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in a coral reef area were investigated off Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan. Chlorophyll (Chl) a and nutrient concentrations were low almost all year round, showing no clear seasonal variability with values similar to those in some other coral reef areas. Picoplankton dominated the phytoplankton community; average contributions of pico-, nano- and microplankton to the total Chl a biomass were 52, 34 and 11%, respectively. However, in 1998, when the seawater temperature was extremely high and coral bleaching occurred due to the ENSO event, low Chl a coupled with high nutrient concentrations were observed. This was associated with a decrease in the picoplankton size fraction. We suggest that the high seawater temperature in 1998 decreased the growth rate of the picoplankton; however, the micro- and nanoplankton may also be limited by other factors such as low nutrient concentrations.


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