Preamble

Abstract

Many text books of limnology and oceanography begin by reminding the reader that two thirds of the surface of the Earth is covered by water. Perhaps the most striking image that drives this point home is the Apollo mission view of the Earth taken from directly over the Pacific Ocean, which shows little land and one complete third of the surface of the Earth covered with water. Phytoplankton are the ‘grass’ of the surface waters of lakes and the oceans, so this book is concerned with the ecology of a group of organisms which are responsible for the process of primary production over much of the surface of the Earth. This is a book about phytoplankton but it is also, I hope, a book about some general ecological principles. I believe that phytoplankton have much to teach us about the way this world works and the lessons we may learn should be as widely applied as possible. I take a certain pride in using phytoplankton as model organisms in an ecology text because phytoplankton have long been regarded as paradoxical. Most of the standard theory of ecology has not included phytoplankton. Phytoplankton do not appear to fit most of the standard explanations and examples from phytoplankton data are missing from most of the standard literature.