Abstract
THE quantitative examination of the microplankton of the North European waters is the subject of the present important memoir, which is the outcome of a resolution of the International Council to take advantage of cruises in Denmark, England, Holland, Norway, and Sweden in the spring of 1912 for the collection of plankton samples taken by means of the water-bottle at depths ranging from o to 100 metres and more. In this way a series of accurately determined species is followed from sample to sample, and the distribution of these species is used to illustrate the laws of production and destruction of organic substance in the ocean. Prof. Gran has exhaustively examined the whole of the material collected with the exception of the greater part of the Scottish collections, for which Miss Ogilvie is responsible; a special chapter being devoted to this portion of the work. The samples were all preserved by adding Flemmins's solution to the water directly it was collected. This method, although admittedly restricted, answers well for the preservation of all important Plankton species, as is shown by the fact that, when comparing the living material from Flødeveigen, Skager Rak, with the preserved, no species were found which were not present in the preserved material. For examination, Lohmann's centrifugal method is used, and the number of organisms (cells) per litre given in a series of tables with hydrographical data. Even delicate Peridiniales such as Gymnodinium, and Infusoria, especially Labcea, are well preserved, and are shown to form an important part in the economy of the sea.
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L., M. The Minute Life of the Sea 1 . Nature 96, 441 (1915). https://doi.org/10.1038/096441a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/096441a0