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Mathematical formulation of the relationship between photosynthesis and light for phytoplankton
Author(s) -
Jassby Alan D.,
Platt Trevor
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1976.21.4.0540
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , saturation (graph theory) , nova scotia , environmental science , photosynthesis , tangent , hyperbolic function , saturation vapor curve , mathematics , oceanography , biology , ecology , geology , mathematical analysis , botany , geometry , nutrient , biochemistry , combinatorics , enzyme
Eight different mathematical formulations of the photosynthesis—light curve for phytoplankton (up to and including light saturation) were recast in terms of the same two parameters: the initial slope α , and the assimilation number P m B . Each equation was tested for its ability to describe empirical data from natural populations of marine phytoplankton: the results of 188 light‐saturation experiments at three coastal locations in Nova Scotia over a 2‐year period. The most consistently useful mathematical representation of the data was found to be the hyperbolic tangent function.