Our perceptions of phytoplankton: An historical sketchthe first founders’ lecture

Abstract

The wide distribution, abundance and general ecological significance of phytoplankton was first recognized by J. D. Hooker in 1847 as a result of his observations during an Antarctic cruise. The introduction of the fine-meshed silk plankton net at about the same time led to a great expansion of interest and a realization of the enormous variety of phytoplankton species. The net, however, has its disadvantages and three lines of enquiry which were neglected through over-reliance on it are considered. Following the pioneer work of Lohmann in 1911 it was belatedly realized that the small forms which pass through the net are an important and active fraction which forms a somewhat separate community different in its dynamics from that of the larger plankton forms. The patchiness of phytoplankton distribution, obscured by net sampling, can now be studied by continuous recording techniques, aerial photography and remote sensing from satellites and is found to be related in complex ways to hydrographic features. Investigation of the metabolic activities of phytoplankton, which also cannot properly be studied with net samples, was at first largely confined to determinations of primary productivity. Recently, detailed biochemical studies have been carried out in situ and the involvement of biogeochemical processes brought about by phytoplankton in global climatic changes has been postulated. © 1990 The British Phycological Society.