Comparative Ecology of Marine and Freshwater Phytoplankton

Examination of models of nutrient-limited growth and uptake, nutrient patchiness, resourcecompetition, and r- and K-selection with respect to marine and freshwater phytoplankton indicatesthat organisms from both habitats are ecologically similar. However, there are differences in thephysiology and ecology of phytoplankton within a given habitat (either marine or freshwater)during the course of succession. Even though the identity and basic ecology of organisms that arepresent early and late in successional sequences are generally known, little is known about theirphysiology. Marked differences in uptake ability, storage capacity, and growth and loss rates willbe found for phytoplankton that can be ranked along an r- through K-selection continuum. Thiscontinuum can serve as a unifying concept in phytoplankton ecology.

Publisher - Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)

Subjects - Chemical, Nutrients

Collection: Section 2: Water Quality (2012)

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Citation: Kilham P, Hecky RE. 1988. Comparative Ecology of Marine and Freshwater Phytoplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr.; 33(4 part 2):776-795 http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_33/issue_4_part_2/0776.pdf