Energy-flow budgets in aquatic ecosystems and the conflict between biology and geophysics about earth-axis tilt.

Abstract

Quantitative studies on energy flows in arctic, temperate and tropical ecosystems on the marine shelf and in lakes indicate that in the arctic the benthic energy flow dominates, and in the tropics the pelagic flow dominates. This is confirmed by the different structures of the ecosystems. The variation between midnight sun and polar darkness, the timelag between the steps in the energy flow, the synchronization of the organism's life histories, and the low temperature all favour the benthic energy flow in the subarctic.-from Author