Books On Phytoplankton Growth

A comprehensive introduction to the biology and ecology of plankton.

Nine contributors bring both the phycological (i.e., botanical) and limnological (i.e., ecological) literature into focus to reveal the morphological, reproductive, and physiological characteristics of these microscopic organisms as adaptive evolutionary strategies for survival in stressful and seasonally changing aquatic habitats. The synthesis of these literatures from an organismal and evolutionary perspective is unique. The following important groups of planktonic algae are considered: cyanobacteria, green algae, diatoms, dinoflagellates, cryptomonads, and chrysophyte flagellates. For each algal group, the importance of both growth and loss processes influencing biogeography and seasonality is emphasized.

Communities of microscopic plant life, or phytoplankton, dominate the Earth's aquatic ecosystems. This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology and population dynamics of phytoplankton communities in lakes and rivers and oceans. It provides basic information on composition, morphology and physiology of the main phyletic groups represented in marine and freshwater systems and in addition reviews recent advances in community ecology, developing an appreciation of assembly processes, co-existence and competition, disturbance and diversity. Although focussed on one group of organisms, the book develops many concepts relevant to ecology in the broadest sense, and as such will appeal to graduate students and researchers in ecology, limnology and oceanography.

In order to understand diel variations in the bulk water inherent optical property beam attenuation, mean forward light scatter of different populations of phytoplankton, from flow cytometric analysis of individual cells, was determined. Forward light scatter showed diel patterns similar to those of beam attenuation, with a minimum near dawn and a maximum near dusk, for populations of prokaryotic picophytoplankton (Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus) and eukaryotic nanophytoplankton measured in the equatorial Pacific and the Sargasso Sea. The cell concentration patterns do not generally correspond to those of beam attenuation. Using a combination of empirical calibrations relating beam attenuation to flow cytometric measurements of pure cultures of phytoplankton in the laboratory, and Mie theory, the contributions of different groups of phytoplankton to the diel variations in beam attenuation were determined. The results indicate that the phytoplankton assemblage measured by flow cytometry can account for essentially all of the diel variation in the beam attenuation signal. In addition, flow cytometric measurements of phytoplankton light scattering and cell concentration over the diel light cycle were used to estimate in situ phytoplankton group-specific growth and loss rates in the equatorial Pacific and the Sargasso Sea.

Two major advances in a study of phytoplankton ecology in the Chesapeake Bay are reported. The annual subsurface transport of a dinoflagellate species (Prorocentrum mariae labouriae) from the mouth of the bay a distance northward of 120 nautical miles to the region of the Bay Bridge was followed. Prorocentrum is a major seasonal dinoflagellate in the Chespeake Bay and annually has been reported to form mahogany tides, dense reddish-brown patches, in the northern bay beginning in late spring and continuing through the summer. Subsequent to this annual appearance the Prorocentrum spread southward and into the western tributary estuaries. The physiological behavioral characteristics of the Prorocentrum were correlated with the physical water movements in the bay. A phytoplankton cage technique for the measurement in situ of the growth rates of natural mixed populations is described. (CH).

This describes the lifestyles of planktons and their adaptation for living independently of solid surfaces.

The directions of the research program in understanding the dynamics of the natural phytoplankton populations of the Chesapeake Bay, the methodology, the statistical analysis, and the description of the system are parallel to the requirements for environmental impact studies. Results are reported for the following studies: development of instrumentation and the synoptic isopleth methodology for relating the dynamic distributions of natural phytoplankton populations to water circulation patterns; phytoplankton cage experiments for assessment of nutrient dynamics; sub-lethal concentrations and effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and studies on concentration and time kinetics of induction of liver aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase system in Fundulus heteroclitus by benzopyrene and 3-methyl cholanthrene. (HLW).

This lesson plan helps students make the connection between the amount of nutrients present in an ecosystem and the resulting growth of phytoplankton in our coastal waters. This lesson takes this concept a step deeper, by exploring how the proportions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the environment create the ideal conditions for phytoplankton growth. Students will explore the concept of limiting factors and will work on both their graphing skills and their ability to compare ratios.

Phytoplankton--the passively floating or weakly swimming plant life found in bodies of water--is generally inconspicuous. It is of basic importance in lakes and seas, however, as the primary producer of the organic material on which other forms of aquatic life depend; and it is probable that its total photosynthetic output exceeds that of land vegetation. This book reviews the information gained from culture studies in the laboratory on the growth kinetics and metabolism of algae and considers to what extent this information is applicable to phytoplankton populations in nature. Dr. Fogg has laid a solid foundation for such future investigations in this precise, clear, and factual review, which admirably integrates laboratory and field data. His book will be valuable not only to limnologists and marine biologists but to many botanists and zoologists who do not consider themselves primarily limnologists. Judiciously chosen illustrations, including three full-color plates, add to the usefulness of the text.

"This book offers a mechanistic approach to the study of ocean ecology by exploring biological interactions in plankton at the individual level. The book focuses on encounter mechanisms, since the pace of life in the ocean intimately relates to the rate at which encounters happen." "Most of the book's chapters consist of a theoretical introduction followed by examples of how the theory might be applied to real-world problems. In the final chapters, mechanistic insights of individual-level processes help to describe broader population dynamics and pelagic food web structure and function."--BOOK JACKET.