Composition and distribution of phytoplankton around the Galapagos Archipelago

Abstract

The Galapagos Islands marine ecosystem has regionally high primary production and chlorophyll concentrations that are uncharacteristic of the surrounding high-nitrate low chlorophyll waters of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. Even with these high concentrations of phytoplankton, their abundance still remains highly variable throughout the islands. To better quantify this variability, phytoplankton community composition and distribution were determined at seven stations around the Galapagos Archipelago, three west and four east of Isabela Island.