Availability of detritus of different types and ages to a polychaete macroconsumer, Capitella capitata1
- 1 May 1980
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Limnology and Oceanography
- Vol. 25 (3) , 553-558
- https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1980.25.3.0553
Abstract
In chambers containing detritus from periphyton, Gracilaria foliifera (red seaweed), or Spartina alterniflora (marsh grass) aged for various periods we compared total microcosm carbon oxidation, microbial biomass (total adenylates), and net incorporation of detritus by Capitella capitata. Oxidation of periphyton and Gracilaria‐derived detritus was higher (3%·d−1) and peaked (at 5–30 days) earlier than Spartina‐derived detritus (1%·d−1 at 190 days). The ratio of worm production to total detrital oxidation in the chamber (P:O)— the efficiency with which the detritus‐based system produces macroconsumers‐was lower for decay‐resistant detritus and increased with aging for all types.Maximum microbial biomass coincided with maximum detrital oxidation. Changes in the ratio of microbial biomass to detrital oxidation (A:O)—a relative measure of the degradability and efficiency of conversion of detritus into microbial biomass—followed those of P:O.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: