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This study presents the distribution of organic matter particulate (POM) and its biochemical composition in Bay Concepcion, Gulf of California, during 1991 to 1993. From its correlation with the chlorophyll, we calculated the contribution of the phytoplanktonic and non-phytoplanktonic particles to organic total matter according to Lancelot van Beveren (1980). This methodology is based on the regression analysis of the concentration of chlorophyll a versus the total concentration of carbohydrates or proteins. The concentration of chlorophyll registered its maximum values during the cold season, principally in the first two years. The concentration of carbohydrates registered important changes associated with the year-to-year variation. During 1991 and 1993 its concentrations did not vary greatly between the different months, whereas in 1992 a notable increase was registered during the summer. The proteins obtained maximum values with the cold season, whereas minimum values were registered principally in the hot months during 1991 and 1993. However, during 1992 the behavior was inverse. Both the concentrations of carbohydrate and protein showed low coefficients of determination in relation to chlorophyll (r2 <0.40), which may suggest the involvement of an alternate non-phytoplanktonic source of these metabolites. By means of the quotient carbohydrates/proteins, we determined that the cold season presented a major nourishing quality of the particulate organic matter. Phytoplanktonic material was dominant during September 1992 and June 1993, but in the other months the non-phytoplankton fraction was dominant, reaching values greater than 99%. This supports the thesis that non-phytoplanktonic material such as zooplankton and bacterioplankton can be the determinant factor in the composition of particulate organic material (Lenz, 1977). The information from this study confirms the potential ability of these waters to sustain important populations of organisms such as the almeja catarina, which in this bay is sustained by the strong influence of detritus as well as by an important (although of lesser magnitude) phytoplankton component.

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