The energetics of detritus utilisation in coastal lagoons and nearshore waters
1982
Newell, R C
It is shown that although primary production by saltmarshes is high, the combined production by macrophytes, phytoplankton and smaller algae in a typical kelp bed is similar to that of a saltmarsh and close to that attained by phytoplankton under nutrient-rich upwelling conditions. In each, primary production is approximately 1.5% of the incident energy. The evidence for the detritus-feeding consumer community associated with macrophyte beds is that secondary production is approximately 10% of primary production. This is very similar to the production attained in a typical plant-herbivore system and suggests that the detritivores are utilising fragmented plant material directly in an analogous fashion to herbivores. Secondary production by the consumer community would be anticipated to be at least an order of magnitude lower than this if the decomposer organisms represented a primary food resource for the consumer community of nearshore waters. Finally, it is shown that energy conversion by decomposer organisms is not markedly higher than that in food chains in other ecosystems.
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