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Ecological Efficiency and Activity Metabolism

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Flows of Energy and Materials in Marine Ecosystems

Part of the book series: NATO Conference Series ((MARS,volume 13))

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Abstract

Quite simply stated the total productivity of an ecosystem is the sum of the productivities of the components. However, this in no obvious way simplifies the aggregation of trophic levels, for simplicity’s sake, in order that only some few measurements or estimates might be made and their products summed to yield a general solution of the productivity of a given system. The problems lie in the differences in the efficiencies of the various inter and intra-trophic level components, their distributions in time and space, the typical number of interactions they participate in within the food web, and the life history pathways followed. My comments will be primarily directed at an evaluation of efficiencies of various trophic groups, which will, by their nature, require a series of comparisons and contrasts of distributions, behaviors, and life histories.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries Resources Officer, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

    Gary D. Sharp

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  1. Gary D. Sharp
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Godalming, Surrey, UK

    M. J. R. Fasham

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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

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Sharp, G.D. (1984). Ecological Efficiency and Activity Metabolism. In: Fasham, M.J.R. (eds) Flows of Energy and Materials in Marine Ecosystems. NATO Conference Series, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0387-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0387-0_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-0389-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-0387-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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