Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 09:20:36 -0400 From: "Marie Bundy" To: , Subject: "Linkages between plankton and benthos" Special session AGU-ASLO Hello all, Nancy Marcus and I are chairing a special session at AGU-ASLO 2002 that would also be a good place for the biology folks to spread the word about EEGLE-KITES. Please let me know if you would like to contribute! All the best, Marie Bundy ****************************** Linkages between plankton and benthos: mediation of benthic-pelagic coupling by life-cycle patterns and vertical migration. Marie H. Bundy, Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center 10545 Mackall Rd. St. Leonard, MD 20685 Phone: 410-586-9710 Fax: 410-586-9705 email: bundy@acnatsci.org Nancy H. Marcus, Department of Oceanography Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306 Phone: 850 644-5498 FAX: 850 644-2581 email: marcus@ocean.fsu.edu Organisms that partition their time between the plankton and the benthos contribute significantly to carbon cycling in aquatic systems. However, the importance of meroplanktonic/merobenthic life history patterns and the role of vertical migration have been frequently overlooked in studies of processes that control benthic-pelagic coupling. Species composition and population dynamics of planktonic communities can change dramatically depending on the temporal and spatial scales of initiation and release from diapause, production and hatching of resting eggs or phytoplankton cysts, and patterns of vertical migration. Physical forcing factors such as advection, turbulence, and resuspension influence the magnitude and the rate of transport of biota between the water column and benthic communities. This session provides a forum to review current ideas and information on the contribution of vertical migration and life-cycle patterns to benthic-pelagic coupling in marine and freshwater systems. ********************************************** Marie H. Bundy Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center (ANSERC) 10545 Mackall Rd. St. Leonard, MD 20685 Phone: 410-586-9710 Fax: 410-586-9705 bundy@acnatsci.org