A budget of carbon cycling in the Belgian coastal zone: relative roles of zooplankton, bacterioplankton and benthos in the utilization of primary production

The various biological compartments of the Belgian coastal zone of the North Sea were studied since 1971. The synthesis of available data on carbon cycling includes phytoplankton biomass and activities (particulate and dissolved primary production, respiration) , zooplankton biomass and activities (grazing, respiration) and planktonic and benthic microbial heterotrophic activities. These various carbon flux estimates allow the development of an overall budget of carbon cycling. This budget shows the importance of microbial (planktonic and benthic) heterotrophs versus zooplankton in the utilization of primary production. Comparison with literature data suggests that this could be a general feature of coastal, as opposed to open sea ecosystems