Dynamics of the Ionian picocyanobacteria and their response to light and nutrient variations.

The importance of picocyanobacteria to the Ionian Sea is increasingly recognised. Only a few studies deal with the relationship between chemico-physical variables and picocyanobacteria population dynamics in the Ionian Sea. In order to gain insights into the role of these parameters on the pattern of picophytoplankton we determined picophytoplankton densities and biomass, together with chlorophyll a and inorganic nutrient concentrations, at sampling sites characterised by different trophic conditions.