Abstract
The theory of SHELDONet al. (1972), stating that in marine pelagic communities biomass is distributed equally over logarithmic size classes, is tested for the inland part of the Oosterschelde. It is shown that none of the data on total particulate matter (including phytoplankton and non-phytoplankton particles), phytoplankton separately and zooplankton abundance and size, on a yearly basis, are distributed equally over the size range in which they occur. Using experimentally determined predation efficiency values for zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton, it is shown that the ratio of zooplankton-to phytoplankton biomass found is nevertheless rather consistent with the model of SHELDONet al. (1977).
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Communication no. 539 of the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research.
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Tackx, M.L.M., Francke, J.W., Van Rijswijk, P. et al. Size distributions and trophic relationship of the pelagic ecosystem in the Oosterschelde (S.W. Netherlands). Hydrobiological Bulletin 25, 9–14 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02259583
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02259583