In detritus-based ecosystems, autochthonous primary production contributes very little to the detritus pool. Yet primary producers may still influence the functioning of these ecosystems through complex interactions with decomposers and detritivores. Recent studies have suggested that, in aquatic systems, small amounts of labile carbon (C) (e.g., producer exudates), could increase the mineraliz...

[1] We used budgets of absorption (a), scattering (b), and backscattering (bb) for particles and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) to investigate sources of seasonal variations in apparent optical properties (AOPs) of New England continental shelf surface waters. Spectral a, b, and bb budgets for particles were estimated from flow cytometric measurements of eukaryotic pico/nanophytop...

The diagenetic behavior of proteins, defined as large polypeptides, was examined over a 2-yr period at a mudflat site subject to intense bioturbation. Protein concentrations in the surface sediment correlated well with deposition of algal detritus from the water column. Cellular biomass made up a significant, though likely not a major, component of protein in the sediments; likewise, changes in...

The apatite fission track (FT) analysis of Jurassic sandstones from the Beipiao basin in the eastern China indicates a large variation in FT age peaks. The sandstone of the Beipiao Formation has two peak ages at 178.8 and 40.0 Ma, while the sandstone of the Tuchengzi Formation has three age peaks at 152.0, 77.5 and 32.5 Ma. This implies that the provenance of the Beipiao basin in the early Jura...

Cover figure: Atomic force microscopic image of <0.1 µm filtered water of Lake Valkea-Kotinen sampled on 6 August 1996 displaying detrital and/or viral particles. Fifty µl of the filtered water was allowed to evaporate to dryness on a crystal of mica (diameter of 1 cm). The image was taken with a multi mode atomic force microscope by the courtesy of dr. S. J. 3 To my teachers 4 CONTENTS 1. List...

Growth of larvae of the eastern tree-hole mosquito, Aedes triseriatus (Say), measured as survival to adulthood, development time, and body mass at adult emergence, was significantly better when larvae were provided with fresh rather than senescent beech leaves as food substrate. Leaf type affected larval growth performance independently of ration of leaf available per larva when the ration leve...

Short-term resource enrichment can increase species diversity in communities, but prolonged may result either a collapse or persistent high if fluctuation-dependent mechanisms of coexistence are triggered. We tested the effects on stream invertebrates by boosting densities benthic detritus. In 22-km length, we used wooden stakes to enhance retention detritus at 40-m-long sites; other sites acte...