. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth). Coastal ecology -- Maine. c o \- ni o , (J g 'tr -^ CT — o ^ 25 20 15 E o o —- ^ ^ 10 cc. 10-3 10-2 10-1 100 101 Particle size (A/m) 102 103 Figure 4-17. Size distribution of organic carbon particles in sea water (adapted from Sharp 1973). of particle size. Although all living cells are contained in size fractions greater than approximately yM they account for <5% of the total mass of carbon in the water column. In fact, it might be argued that any marine organism larger than a 10 MM phytoplankton cell
. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth). Coastal ecology -- Maine. c o \- ni o , (J g 'tr -^ CT — o ^ 25 20 15 E o o —- ^ ^ 10 cc. 10-3 10-2 10-1 100 101 Particle size (A/m) 102 103 Figure 4-17. Size distribution of organic carbon particles in sea water (adapted from Sharp 1973). of particle size. Although all living cells are contained in size fractions greater than approximately yM they account for <5% of the total mass of carbon in the water column. In fact, it might be argued that any marine organism larger than a 10 MM phytoplankton cell is insignificant in the organic matter cycle in the oceans. Three size groups of organic matter are present in sea water: particulate, intermediate, and dissolved. Particulate matter is any microbial organism or nonliving material that is large enough to be injested by a filter-feeding organism or to support bacterial attachment. Dissolved matter can be assimilated through cell membranes. The intermediate class of material is too small to be caught and digested but too large to assimilate through the cell membrane. In the following discussion, "biologically active" organic matter represents the larger and small-sized groups. Intermediate sized particles are ill-defined and are probably converted and transformed primarily by physical and chemical processes. The original source of organic matter is plant photosynthesis. The primary source in nearshore areas and estuaries is terrestrial vegetation (introduced by freshwater runoff), emergent wetland plants, benthic diatoms, and attached algae. In the open ocean, phytoplankton is the most important source of organic matter. Concentrations of organic material are much more variable in coastal waters, due to local inputs, than in the open ocean. 4-51 10-80. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illus
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