Distributional Ecology Of Planktonic Diatoms In The Strait Of Georgia, B. C.

In order to determine the distributional ecology, and to investigate factors influencing these features, the diatom communities in plankton at depths of one, twenty-five, fifty, and seventy five meters in the area were studied and measured over a fifteen month of period. Measurements of environmental factors including temperature and salinity and algal nutrients such as phosphate, silicate, nitrate, and ammonia were also made at the same depths and locations. The results indicate that the size of diatom communities and the species population changes were heavily dependent upon to season and location parameters as well as nutrient concentrations and hydrographic factors. Major factors influencing population distributions varied with principal species responsible for dominant species and species sucession. Two distinct distributional patterns in total diatom crop were observed in the study area. Maximum standing crop observed during spring and/or summer were related to the concentration of nutrients available at the onset of the spring bloom on a large scale. On a small scale, however, the distributions of total diatom standing crops were significantly correlated with both season/location factors and with hydrographic parameters as well. Vertical stratification of diatoms was observed only in the presence of the thermocline in the water column. Within the study area there was some seasonal consistancy in the composition of the species groups. However, some species association in these environments may vary with the change of season.