Energy transfer between trophic levels in Bang-tabun Bay was investigated during September 2012. Transfer was considered in terms of the carbon content in primary producers (phytoplankton) and primary consumers (zooplankton: copepods). Carbon content in phytoplankton varied between 563.22 and 3,492.70 μg•L-1 due to the abundance of nano- and pico-phytoplankton as the main source of carbon (62.8-92.0%). Carbon in copepods ranged between 21.97 and 278.51 μg•L-1. Energy transfer or trophic transfer efficiency ranged from 1.5% to 33.1%. Linear regression analysis showed a significant relationship between chlorophyll a and carbon content in phytoplankton at a significance level of 0.05 (F=41.332, p=0.000203). A linear correlation indicated Ci = 139.416 Chl ai with R2 of 81.8%, and this was used to estimate carbon content in phytoplankton when chlorophyll a concentration was known as a useful tool for energy transfer determination in aquatic environments.
Keywords
Bang-tabun Bay, Chlorophyll a, Phytoplankton, trophic transfer efficiency, Zooplankton