Diatoms are ubiquitous members of macrophyte beds. They are part of the water column community and are found in the benthos, in the sediment and as epiphytes. It is recognized that assemblages in these coastal habitats are highly productive, yet diatom contribution to production has not been quantified directly. We disentangled contributions of diatoms from other producers in a seagrass bed by employing a diatom inhibitor and measuring community production and respiration. We found that the contribution of diatoms to benthic production in a seagrass habitat was substantial (71-83%). Diatom contribution in the water column and in an open sediment habitat was more variable (0-86%). Therefore, seagrasses allow for colonization of productive diatom assemblages. If contributions are similar among systems, this could represent a significant term in regional budgets that has been underestimated.

No abstract

No abstract