) indicated the establishment of a herbivorous food web structure. Particulate organic carbon (POC) production was mainly due to phytoplankton (98%) and did not differ between periods. However, the observed variability in plankton trophic interactions should affect the magnitude of POC export from this dynamic system. KEY WORDS: Food webs · Carbon fluxes · Bacterioplankton · Phytoplankton · Zooplankton · Cabo Frio · South Brazil Bight
Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 363: [109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119] 2008 small phytoplankton and bacteria to larger zooplankton and then higher pelagic trophic levels is mediated by heterotrophic nano-and micro-sized protists (Sherr et al. 1986). Therefore, in these microbial food webs, most of the biogenic carbon produced is recycled within the system through heterotrophic respiration (Legendre & Le Fevre 1995).In contrast, in more eutrophic systems with low vertical stability, larger phytoplankton cells are more representative and usually dominant, where turbulence simultaneously provides nutrient and prevents sinking below the euphotic zone (Kiørboe 1993). In those conditions an herbivorous food web prevails and most of the POC produced is exported via grazing, as the mesozooplankton are the dominant primary consumers (Legendre & Rassoulzadegan 1996). Moreover, carbon export is directly related to the input and uptake of 'new' nutrients, mainly nitrate (N-NO 3 ) to the euphotic zone (Dugdale & Goering 1967), and this nitrogen form is primarily utilized by larger cells, such as diatoms (Price et al. 1985).Coastal waters influenced by upwelling are among the most productive aquatic systems. The periodical wind-driven transport of surface waters offshore and the consequent upwelling of deeper water masses provide enrichment to previously oligotrophic waters. The high nutrient input to the surface waters, especially N-NO 3 , stimulates phytoplankton production, mainly for larger species, resulting in higher mesozooplankton and fisheries productivity. This pattern has been described for several upwelling zones around the world, such as those in the SE Pacific Ocean , Iriarte & Gonzalez 2004, Fernandez-Alamo & Farber-Lorda 2006, NE Pacific Ocean (Peterson et al. 1979, Collins et al. 2003, NE Atlantic Ocean (Bode et al. 2003), and Indian Ocean (Brown et al. 2002).Upwelling zones usually occur along eastern ocean boundaries, between 30°N and 30°S, due to the dominance of the trade winds. In the SW Atlantic, however, the change in the coastal direction at 23°S (Cabo Frio, SE Brazil) from N-S to E-W, along with the proximity of the 100 m isobath to the coast, allow the NE winds to move surface waters offshore and the consequent upwelling of the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW). This results in a high productivity core in the midst of the otherwise oligotrophic Brazilian Current waters (Valentin 1984a). The upwelling of deeper water masses is reversed when shifts in wind direction bring surface w...
