The influence of grazing, sedimentation and phytoplankton cell lysis on the dynamics of a coastal pelagic ecosystem in the Southern Bight of the North Sea was studied during spring/summer 1992. Diatoms in the > 8 pm size fraction dominated during early spring, due to size-differential control by microzooplankton. This diatom spring bloom became silicate depleted and declined by sedimentation. A Phaeocystis bloom developed in early summer. Phytoplankton cell lysis was the major loss factor for Phaeocystjs, accounting for 75% of the decline of the bloom. Bacterial production was positively correlated with phytoplankton cell lysis, and bacterial carbon demand could be supplied by cell lysis. This illustrates the importance of phytoplankton cell lysis in providing energy for the microbial loop. A new method (nicotine addit~on technique) was used to estimate mesozooplankton grazing on microzooplankton. h4esozooplankton appeared to prefer microzooplankton as a food source, though there occasionally was substantial grazing on phytoplankton. We conclude that grazing and sedimentation, as well as call lysis, are structuring mechanisms for algal bloom dynamics.

), independent of the region studied. Grazing on Synechococcus was restricted to the coastal waters (0.7 d -1 ). Grazing by microzooplankton consumed 40 ± 27% (mean ± SD) of the carbon produced by picophytoplankton, constituting in general the main loss factor. Viral lysis released 8 ± 13% of the total picophytoplankton carbon production, and locally up to 32%.