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Summary
Most of the Assumptions Relative to the Theory of Ecological Succession Have Rarely or Never Been Confirmed by Experimental Data. We Have Tried to Verify Some of These Postulates Expressed by Margalef (1968), Odum (1969, 1971) and Frontier (1977) by studying temporal evolution of phytoplanktonic communities in Lake Pavin (France). It appears that only the estimation of standing crop by ATP concentrations shows a positive correlation, and a negative one for P/B ratio, with specific diversity. Biovolumes and pigment measures of biomass give opposite conclusions. High levels of nitrate reductase activity are always associated with low specific diversity independently of NO3− and NH4+ concentrations in the water. This fact seems to confirm for nitrogen metabolism the generalist character of opportunist species. From our results on this lake an ecophysiological interpretation is proposed for energetic charge which appears a good index of physiological adaptation of species to environmental conditions.