| Planktonic and benthic productivity and consumption were estimated to assess the availability of food to higher trophic-level consumers in the Ubatuba ecosystem on the SE coast of Brazil. The study area included waters from 10 to 100 m deep and covered 3800 km(2). The trophic compartments of the system were established on ecologically or taxonomically related species, considering their relative abundance and similarity of diets and habits. The compartments are phytoplankton, zooplankton, salps, bacterioplankton, cnidaria, polyplacophora, mollusca, carnivorous benthos, detritivorous polychaetes, other detritivorous benthos, penaeidea-caridea, brachyura, and echinodermata. Biomass, production, and consumption were estimated in summer and winter. Plankton... |
