| The paper deals with applicability of radioactive phosphorus isotopes to studies in the rate of microplankton (microzoo-, phyto- and bacterioplankton) consumption by zooplankton community under conditions close to in situ in the Atlantic tropical regions, different in productivity. The natural microplankton consumption rate in large crustaceans Undinula vulgaris, Calanus gracilis, Euchaeta marina was 0.1-10.0% of body mass, it is considerably higher (up to 108%) in small Temora stylifera and Clausocalanus furcatus being finer filtrators. Food demands of species zooplanktonic populations can be satisfied at the expense of microplankton only in regions with a comparatively high content of suspended organic matter (10.4-21.0 microg P*l^-1). Species... |
