| Abstract: | Secondary production of benthic invertebrates was estimated for Delaware Bay and coastal Delaware. Production and turnover ratios were highest in Delaware Bay (P = 46,572 mg AFDW m?2 yr?1, P:B = 6,O) and progressively lower at two coastal stations (P = 7,501 to 30,124 mg AFDW m?2 yr?1, P:B = 2.3 to 5.3, and P = 4,485 to 4,492mg AFDW m?2 yr?1, P:B =2.3 to 4.8). Production was inversely related to sediment particle size. Production in Delaware Bay was relatively evenly distributed between deposit feeding polychaetes and suspension feeding molluscs with a definite shift in production dominance to suspension feeding molluscs at the coastal stations. Moreover, crustaceans and echinoderms played a larger role in production at the coastal stations than in Delaware Bay. Concerns about the health of soft-bottom communities in Delaware Bay expressed earlier were not supported here. Finally, it was concluded that P and P: B from the Delaware Bay area were very similar to those obtained from other areas in the North Atlantic which agrees with estimates for other estuaries in the northern hemisphere. |
