Importance of allelopathy as peudo-mixotrophy for the dynamics and diversity of phytoplankton


Autoria(s): Roy, Shovonlal
Data(s)

17/04/2015

Resumo

Understanding the dynamics and diversity of marine phytoplankton is essential for predicting oceanic primary production, oxygen generation and carbon sequestration. Several top-down and bottom-up factors lead to complex phytoplankton dynamics. Complexities further arise from inter-species interactions within phytoplankton communities. Consequently, some of the basic questions on phytoplankton diversity, identified long ago, still puzzle the ecologists: for example, what regulates the diversity in simple systems where species compete for limiting resources? In this context, allelopathic interaction among phytoplankton species has been identified as a potential driver of their dynamics and regulator of their diversity. This chapter deals with the importance of allelopathy in regulating the outcome of nutrient competition among phytoplankton species, through analysis of a resource-competition model. It demonstrates that, through the mechanism of pseudo-mixotrophy - proposed earlier by the author - allelopathy provides essential growth advantage to weaker competitors, and stabilizes resource competition, which ensures the coexistence of two phytoplankton on a single nutrient. In simple nutrient-phytoplankton interactions where higher-trophic influences are negligible, this mechanism theoretically promotes phytoplankton diversity, and can potentially support high diversity in natural phytoplankton communities.

Formato

text

Identificador

http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40089/1/roy_chapter2015_open_access.pdf

Roy, S. <http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/creators/90005425.html> (2015) Importance of allelopathy as peudo-mixotrophy for the dynamics and diversity of phytoplankton. In: Biodiversity in Ecosystems - Linking Structure and Function. INTECH, pp. 17-28. ISBN 9789535120285 doi: 10.5772/59055 <http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/59055>

Idioma(s)

en

Publicador

INTECH

Relação

http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40089/

creatorInternal Roy, Shovonlal

10.5772/59055

Direitos

cc_by

Tipo

Book or Report Section

PeerReviewed