Differences in in vivo fluorescence yield between three phytoplankton size classes

The size-dependent relationship between in vivo fluorescence (IVF) and chlorophyll a was determined for monthly phytoplankton samples from the San Francisco Bay estuary. Chlorophyll a and IVF were both measured on netplankton (>22 μm), nanoplankton (5–22 μm), and ultraplankton (<5 μm) samples that were separated with screens. IVF and chlorophyll a were linearly related for each size class, but the IVF per unit chlorophyll a (R) was significantly different between these three size classes. The ultraplankton R was twice that of the nanoplankton which was in turn twice the netplankton R. Hence, accurate size fractionation of phytoplankton biomass from measures of IVF requires correction for size-dependent variations in R.