Abstract
Primary producer organisms can form organic matter by acquiring and metabolically making use of energy and carbon (plus a variety of other essential elements). In terms of energy and carbon acquisition, some definitions may be useful. Obligate autotrophs carry out photosynthesis; hence they need light as the energy source (and will not grow in the dark) and fix carbon dioxide as the source of carbon. Facultative autotrophs may carry out photosynthesis, using light and CO2, as well as use organic carbon compounds as energy and carbon sources (so may grow in the dark if organic compounds are available). Some autotrophs may carry out chemosynthesis, in which a reduced compound is the source of energy. Heterotrophs can only use organic compounds as energy and carbon sources; these are basically consumers of materials fixed by primary producers, and are treated in other chapters below.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Respiration, of course, occurs in all organisms. In animals or many microbes, ingested or absorbed carbon compounds serve as the principal substrate that supplies energy needed for respiration (cf. Chap. 15 and 16).
- 2.
Narratives of the Alvin discoveries in the Galapagos Ridge can be found in Ballard (1977), Luiggi (1977), and Crane and Keener-Chavis (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov), and a review of the field in Van Dover (2000). In 2012, Time magazine included the Galapagos Rift as one of the most influential places in history (T. Onstott 23 April 2012).
- 3.
Here we emphasize biomass measurements, but estimations of cell numbers have been useful in advancing knowledge of the nature and role of phytoplankton. For example, data on cell numbers obtained by counts done by epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry led to the discovery of picoplankton, a topic that revolutionized our understanding of the phytoplankton (Waterbury et al. 1979, Chisholm et al. 1988). Flow cytometry , a procedure that allows fast counting (several thousand cells per minute) and sorting of cell types, has become the most widely used method for cell counts.
- 4.
Advection and turbulent (or eddy) diffusion can both be agents of transport of substances. Advection refers to the mass movement of a parcel of water. Transport in seawater tends to occur primarily owing to small turbulent eddies rather than to molecular diffusion. In sediments molecular diffusion is more important.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Valiela, I. (2015). Production: The Formation of Organic Matter. In: Marine Ecological Processes. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79070-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79070-1_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-79068-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79070-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)