A PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH TO THE ESTIMATION OF PHYTOPLANKTON TRAITS1

The quantitative characterization of the ecology of individual phytoplankton taxa is essential for model resolution of many aspects of aquatic ecosystems. Existing literature cannot directly parameterize all phytoplankton taxa of interest, as many traits and taxa have not been sampled. However, valuable clues on the value of traits are found in the evolutionary history of species and in common correlations between traits. These two resources...