1. Trophic structure and energy flow in a Texas pond
- Author
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Michael Childress, W., Fitzpatrick, Lloyd, and Pearson, William
- Abstract
Annual energy flow and mean annual biocontent of eighteen compartments were determined for a 1.0 ha north central Texas pond ecosystem. Annual primary production was 7,789 kcal m-2 yr-1, and community production-to-respiration ratio was 1.49. One-third of annual primary production accumulated on the substrate as silt and sedimentation. Biocontents of four trophic levels in the pond were all of the same order of magnitude, averaging 50 kcal m-2. Wind and water-borne organic material for primary consumers and terrestrial insects for tertiary consumers were substantial allochthonous energy imports into the pond system.
- Published
- 1981
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