Nutrient and Energy Cycles in an Estuarine Oyster Area

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Abstract
The nutrient circulation and microbial abundance of oyster-producing waters in the Malpeque Bay area, Prince Edward Island, were followed at two stations through an open season, and the efficiency of carbon assimilation and dissimilation was estimated. Part of the organic fall-out evidently entered the water again in the spring as nutrient salts, but a certain portion was not returned and this represented a net loss from the ecosystem. The nutrient circulation at a station located in a saltwater pond was more efficient than at a station located in a river estuary. In the pond, mineralization was 31% of primary production, largely by mud bacteria; in the estuary it was 17%, about equally by mud and water organisms.