Phytoplankton Dynamics in an Arctic Lake
Primary production measurements (C 14 ) and phytoplankton counts were made in an arctic lake between June and September 1963. Annual carbon fixation was estimated at 8.5 g/m 2 (4.0 g/m 3 ), of which approximately 22% occurred under the ice. Phytoplankton numbers varied between 2.4 and 24.1 × 10 6 ce...
| Published in: | Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1967
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f67-155 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f67-155 |
| Summary: | Primary production measurements (C 14 ) and phytoplankton counts were made in an arctic lake between June and September 1963. Annual carbon fixation was estimated at 8.5 g/m 2 (4.0 g/m 3 ), of which approximately 22% occurred under the ice. Phytoplankton numbers varied between 2.4 and 24.1 × 10 6 cells/liter. The proportion of small nannoplankton (≤ 10 μ) fluctuated between 51.0 and 100% and averaged 84.5%. Few of the organisms were larger than 20 μ. The highest numbers of phytoplankton were found near the lake bottom when between 1.20 and 1.75 m of ice covered the lake. Some evidence is provided suggesting that the organisms near the bottom lived heterotrophically when the lake was ice-covered. Insufficient light rather than nutrient deficiencies appears to have limited autotrophic carbon fixation under the ice. |
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