Zooplankton production - high production

Conceptual diagram of zooplankton production in a shallow area like the Cache Slough Complex (CSC) and its export to the broader estuary. This figure illustrates the case where a combination of moderate residence time and low benthic grazing allows for high phytoplankton production based on a high nutrient flux due to high river nutrients and moderate exchange rate. Conditions are ripe here for large phytoplankton cells (green) to develop, stimulating high zooplankton growth and development rate. This productivity is then available for consumption by predators including fish, and for subsidizing the zooplankton of surrounding waters.