Phytoplankton Dynamics and Biogeochemistry: Model Studies

The seasonal dynamics of the NE Black Sea phytoplankton follow the following pattern: small diatoms (spring) -> coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi (late spring-early summer) -> large diatoms (summer). Our hypothesis states that nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations regulate the seasonal phytoplankton dynamics. A minimum number of parameters is enough to understand the mechanisms of dominant species change. Based on the concept of intracellular regulation, the following parameters were evaluated: the minimum nitrogen and phosphorus quotas; half-saturation constants for nitrogen and phosphorus uptake; the maximum specific growth rate of the dominant phytoplankton species. Computational experiments on the model show the following: (1) in spring, a species with a high maximum specific growth rate becomes dominant; (2) in late spring and early summer, a species with a low minimum nitrogen quota and a low half-saturation constant for nitrogen uptake is observed; (3) in summer, a low minimum phosphorus quota and a low half-saturation constant for phosphorus uptake allow the species to become dominant.