| The seasonal development of benthic communities was followed in a coastal marine sediment of the Kiel Bight (Baltic Sea; FRG). Total benthic biomass, (ATP), bacterial biomass, overall benthic activity (heat production), and enzymatic decomposition rates of carbohydrate (d-amylase activity) followed a seasonal cycle strongly related to certain events in the sediment. Among these, the input of the phytoplankton blooms in autumn and spring, the accumulation of organic material during winter, and changes in the physical characteristics of the sediment turned out to be most important for the development of benthic biomass and activity. Processes within the benthic community occurred in very short time scales (within days). |
