CARBON FLUX IN A PELAGIC TROPHIC MODEL TO CONCEPCION BAY, CHILE

Abstract

Data base compiled from descriptive studies carried out during several years in Concepción Bay, were used in order to estímate ecological fluxes. We used organic carbón as the State variable for build-up a carbón budget, in the first holistic approach to a trophic model to this bay. Data were reprocessed and improved in order to obtain averages, defined fluxes, estimated production rates, and used to calcúlate transferencics in pelagic ecosystem. In the model we use the five following compartment: phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, microflagellates and ciliates, zooplankton and pelagic fishes. Furthermore we considered two reservoirs: particulate organic carbón (POC) and dissolved organic carbón (DOC). The five processes that link these compartments are: primary production, zooplanktonic production, bacterial production, microflagellate production and sedimentation rate.