Ecology of Phaeocystis-dominated ecosystems
In: Journal of Marine Systems. Elsevier: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; Amsterdam. ISSN 0924-7963; e-ISSN 1879-1573, more
|  |
| Available in | Authors |
|
Document type: Conference paper
|
| Keywords |
Algal blooms
Chemistry > Biochemistry
Colonies
Cycles > Life cycle
Food webs
Nutrients (mineral)
Population characteristics > Biomass
Phaeocystis Lagerheim, 1893 [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Lancelot, C., more
- Wassmann, P.
- Barth, H.R., more
|
|
|
| Abstract |
A three-day workshop on the ecology of Phaeocystis-dominated ecosystems was held in Brussels in January 1991 under the auspices of the Commission of the European Communities in the scope of the R and D Programme Science and Technology for Environmental Protection (STEP) to promote international operation and interdisciplinarity in marine ecology. That a nontoxic phytoplankton organism deserves attention of a whole workshop is unique and must be related to the uniqueness of this prymnesiophyte. The uniqueness of the genus Phaeocystis rests not only in the fabulous biomass reached by its blooms but mostly in its exceptional physiology and ecology. No other marine phytoplankter has ever been shown to dominate an entire ecosystem. No other marine species distinguishes itself by a complex polymorphic life cycle that induces dramatic changes in the structure and functioning of the planktonic and benthic food-web as well as in the biogeochemistry of trace elements and sulphur. |
|
