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Generation of a phytoplankton maximum in a grazing‐extended logistic model
Author(s) -
ROTHSCHILD B. J.,
PATRICK E. V.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
fisheries oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1365-2419
pISSN - 1054-6006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2419.1993.tb00137.x
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , grazing , irradiance , zooplankton , environmental science , oceanography , mixed layer , plankton , upwelling , logistic function , atmospheric sciences , ecology , mathematics , geology , biology , statistics , physics , optics , nutrient
The cause of variability in the vertical distribution of phytoplankton has been a subject of considerable interest, particularly in the development of various ‘global change’ scenarios. The classic two‐layer explanation for the phytoplankton maximum form of vertical variability derives from physical considerations: a switching in the sign of production owing to a stepwise reduction in irradiance with increasing depth. This paper shows how quasi‐periodicity in the vertical distribution of phytoplankton and the special case of a ‘maximum’ can arise from zooplankton grazing. To show this we employ the dynamics of the grazing‐extended logistic model.