Sains Malaysiana 40(12)(2011): 1375–1382

Quality and Quantity of Particulate Organic Carbon in a Coral Reef at Tioman Island, Malaysia

(Kualiti dan Kuantiti Karbon Partikulat Organan di Terumbu Karang, Pulau Tioman, Malaysia)

R. Nakajima & T. Toda

Department of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis, Faculty of Engineering

Soka University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan

T. Yoshida & B.H.R. Othman

Marine Ecosystem Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor D.E. Malaysia

A. Shibata

Marino-Forum 21, Department of Research & Development

Yusen-Okachimachi Bldg 8F, 4-8-7 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0016, Japan

Received: 1 December 2009 / Accepted: 4 February 2011

ABSTRACT

The quality and quantity of particulate organic carbon (POC) were investigated in a fringing coral reef of Tioman Island, Malaysia to better understand the food sources for reef meso-zooplankton. Phytoplankton biomass in the water column was on average 0.22 (± 0.07) mg Chl-a m-3, of which picophytoplankton was the most important (size <3 μm, 50-70% of the total Chl-a). The proportion of C biomass by phytoplankton and other plankton to particulate organic carbon (POC) was low (6% and 5%, respectively) and the major portion of POC was occupied by detritus (89%), suggesting that the diet of particle-feeding or suspension feeding meso-zooplankton would chiefly consist of detritus.

Keywords: Detritus; food; phytoplankton; POC; zooplankton

ABSTRAK

Kualiti dan kuantiti karbon partikulat organan POC di sekitar terumbu pinggir Pulau Tioman Malaysia telah dikaji untuk memahami dengan lebih mendalam sumber makanan untuk mesozooplankton terumbu. Biojisim fitoplankton di dalam turus air puratanya adalah 0.22 (± 0.07) mg Chl-a m-3, di mana pikofitoplankton merupakan yang terpenting (size <3 μm, 50-70% daripada jumlah Chl-a). Nisbah biojisim karbon oleh fitoplankton dan plankton lain dengan karbon partikulat organan didapati rendah (6% and 5%, masing-masing) dan jumlah utama bahagian POC terdiri daripada detritus (89%), menunjukkan bahawa diet pemakan partikulat atau pemakan enapan mesozooplankton terutamanya terdiri daripada detritus.

Kata kunci: Detritus; fitplankton; makanan; POC; zooplankton

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*Corresponding author; email: rnakajim@soka.ac.jp