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Allometric scaling of maximum population density: a common rule for marine phytoplankton and terrestrial plants
Belgrano, A.; Allen, A.P.; Enquist, B.J.; Gillooly, J.F. (2002). Allometric scaling of maximum population density: a common rule for marine phytoplankton and terrestrial plants. Ecol. Lett. 5: 611-613
In: Ecology Letters. Blackwell: Oxford. ISSN 1461-023X; e-ISSN 1461-0248, more
Peer reviewed article  
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Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Belgrano, A.
  • Allen, A.P.
  • Enquist, B.J.
  • Gillooly, J.F.
Abstract
    A primary goal of macroecology is to identify principles that apply across varied ecosystems and taxonomic groups. Here we show that the allometric relationship observed between maximum abundance and body size for terrestrial plants can be extended to predict maximum population densities of marine phytoplankton. These results imply that the abundance of primary producers is similarly constrained in terrestrial and marine systems by rates of energy supply as dictated by a common allometric scaling law. They also highlight the existence of general mechanisms linking rates of individual metabolism to emergent properties of ecosystems.
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