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Functional Types of Marine Planktonic Primary Producers and Their Relative Significance in the Food Web

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Flows of Energy and Materials in Marine Ecosystems

Part of the book series: NATO Conference Series ((MARS,volume 13))

Abstract

The process of primary production is restricted to cells with special organelles containing chlorophyll. In the marine pelagic ecosystem the great bulk of organisms showing the ability of primary production are unicellular plants usually called phytoplankton to which this review is restricted. Other types of primary producers, e.g. floating beds of the large brown alga Sargassum or chemosynthetic organisms which might be locally important for the flow of energy and matter in the pelagic ecosystem are not dealt with.

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  1. Litoralstation List, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Hafenstr. 3, D- 2282, List/Sylt, Germany

    Malte Elbrächter

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  1. Malte Elbrächter
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  1. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Godalming, Surrey, UK

    M. J. R. Fasham

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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

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Elbrächter, M. (1984). Functional Types of Marine Planktonic Primary Producers and Their Relative Significance in the Food Web. In: Fasham, M.J.R. (eds) Flows of Energy and Materials in Marine Ecosystems. NATO Conference Series, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0387-0_8

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