Bee Gee Belle C. Agustin, Kathleen Joyce B. Longno, Scarlet Gem M. Matullano, (March 2010)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Plankton is a collective term for microscopic organisms which are classified into two groups: plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton). Plankton play an important role in the functioning of marine ecosystem and in biogeochemical cycles because it is a key component of the trophodynamics of pelagic ecosystems. Since planktonic oraginisms represent major source of energy, there is a direct link between the presence of plankton and fish population. This study aims to establish information regarding the chlorophyll a content of plankton present in Banate Bay.
Three samplings were done from August to October 2009 on five different sampling sites. Chlorophyll a was measured using a spectrophotometer. The sites nearest to dangulaan estuary had the largest concentration of chlorophyll a. This holds true for the months of September and October , however, the month of August showed a different trend. The farthest site which is 0.9277 km away demonstrated the highest amount of chlorophyll a concentration due to spatial distribution of chlorophyll a and the occurrence of waves during the collection of samples.
The chlorophyll a content of plankton in Banate Bay ranged from 0.33 – 0.46 mg.m-3 which means that the plankton biomass belongs to the medium nutrient status and medium biological activity. Thus the water in the area falls in the range of mesothropic state.