Phytoplankton and primary production at the inlets of the lagoon of Venice

Data on phytoplankton exchange between the Lagoon of Venice and the Northern Adriatic Sea were gathered, for the first time, in the framework of the Research Programme CORILA 2000-2003 (Linea 3.5). Throughout the study period (July 2001-May 2003) the phytoplankton community did not differ significantly among the three inlets. Despite the importance of the short time scale variability in the Lagoon of Venice, phytoplankton, abundance and community succession were mainly driven by the seasonal cycle. The phytoplankton was prevalently most abundant at flood tide, with dominance of neritic species, commonly found in the North Western Adriatic coastal waters; highest abundance at ebb tide were recorded only during bloom in the lagoon. The analysis of the photosynthesis-light curves at flood and ebb tide emphasizes the importance of the physiological aspects in differentiating the phytoplankton community during the tidal cycle.