Determining picoplankton community and concentration near Hawaiian Islands with varying nutrient impacts

Abstract

Picoplankton communities and nutrient concentrations from different Hawaiian islands were compared to determine if there was a change. It is important to determine if human activities cause a shift in plankton communities because plankton are the base of the trophic level. A change in the base of the trophic level will propagate throughout the trophic levels and eventually affect humans and other species higher in the trophic levels. A difference in plankton community was found nearshore Molokai compared to the Big island. However, observed differences in the populations cannot be statistically connected to nutrient levels. Introduction.