ABSTRACT
The destruction of organic matter by the process of respiration is carried out throughout the water column at all times. The relative constancy of our atmosphere indicates that on a global scale the processes of photosynthesis and respiration are basically in balance. The most important advantage of using an O2 sensor over the Winkler titration method is that it yields a time course of respiration. This is important because rates may vary over time due to changes in substrate availability, population size, or activity level of the organisms. Substates could also be added to alter the respiration of portions of the microbial community. Chlorophyll-specific community respiration would obviously be expected to be higher than the pure algal rate because of the respiratory contribution of the bacteria, protozoa, micro- and macrozooplankton. Respiration is tightly coupled to biosynthesis and hence, growth of all organisms.
