Seasonal ecology of non-planktonig marine diatoms on the western coast of Norway

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Abstract
The seasonal pattern of the common non-planktonic littoral and sublittoral diatoms was determined during approximately one year (1963–1964) in the waters of Raunefjorden and Korsfjorden near the Biological Station, Espegrend. Quantitative estimates of attached diatom productivity were made on constantly submerged glass substrate at various depths. Light intensity, water temperature, transparency, and salinity were measured throughout the period. In general, attached diatom productivity decreased with decreasing light in the autumn to January. In February, with the increase of available light, productivity increased strikingly more or less simultaneously with the phytoplankton pulse. March, with high light intensities, marked a period of great decline in diatoms on glass substrates which corresponded to theshift from “winter” to “spring” species. Attached diatom productivity increased in April, May, and June, but fell off in July and August. The species complement changed greatly through the year both on natural and artificial substrates. As a simplification, the major species could be classified as “winter-early spring”, “spring”, “summer”, and “year-round” types. The non-planktonic diatom species of Norway, Britain, and Oregon (west coast—U.S.A.) are very similar, but the seasonal patterns and degrees of dominance of many species differ considerably. Some culture experiments were conducted with Norwegian and Oregon isolates of four common species with no positive indication of ecotypic differences.