Evaluation of the performance of HPLC-CHEMTAX analysis for determining phytoplankton biomass and composition in a turbid estuary (Schelde, Belgium)
- Lionard, Marie
- Muylaert, Koenraad
- Tackx, Michèle
- Vyverman, Wim
DOIAbstract
International audienceIn the upper Schelde estuary in 2002, phytoplankton biomass and community composition were studied using microscopic and pigment analyses. Chlorophyll a concentration was a good predictor of phytoplankton biomass estimated from cell counts and biovolume measurements. The phytoplankton carbon to chlorophyll a ratio, however, was often unrealistically low (<10). CHEMTAX was used to estimate the contribution of the major algal groups to total chlorophyll a. The dominant algal groups were diatoms and chlorophytes. While diatom equivalents in chlorophyll a predicted diatom biomass relatively well, chlorophyte equivalents in chlorophyll a were only weakly related to chlorophyte biomass. The pigment-based approach to study ph...
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