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Size fractionation of phytoplankton as an estimate of food available to herbivores 1
Author(s) -
Runge Jeffrey A.,
Ohman Mark D.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1982.27.3.0570
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , fractionation , zooplankton , temperate climate , plankton , biology , algae , chlorophyll a , seston , environmental science , oceanography , ecology , botany , chemistry , chromatography , nutrient , geology
Eight species of phytoplankton with sizes and shapes common in temperate oceans were partitioned into categories with six or seven sizes of screens and filters. Analysis of chlorophyll a, particle numbers, and volume in successive size fractions showed clear cell or colony breakage for only one species. The size fractionation technique thus seems to be an informative way to partition phytoplankton into size classes available to suspension‐feeding zooplankton. The technique does not always separate elongate species on the basis of their longest axial dimension, as some species seem more likely than others to orient in the direction of the flow.