Tropical phytoplankton species and pigments of continental shelf waters of North and North-West Australia

1 January 1984

journal article
research article
Published by Inter-Research Science Center in Marine Ecology Progress Series

Vol. 20 (1-2) , 59-74
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps020059

Abstract

The phytoplankton of the shelf waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea and northwest Australia is basically a diatom flora, distinctly different from the oceanic, predominantly dinoflagellate flora of the Coral Sea and Indian Ocean. Large morphologically elaborate tropical diatoms and dinoflagellates of this shelf region show great species diversity (> 200 spp. identified) and a variety of symbiotic associations (28 spp.-pairs recognized). The tropical nanoplankton (2-20 .mu.m; mainly small diatoms, prymnesiophytes and dinoflagellates; 70 spp.) are remarkably similar in species composition to those of subtropical and temperate Australian waters. Water-column chlorophyll values in both North-West Shelf and Gulf waters ranged from 10-55 mg m-2. Nanoplankton accounts for 70-97.degree. of total phytoplankton chlorophyll, except in local diatom or Trichodesmium blooms (30 to 60%).

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