Seasonal plankton dynamics along a cross-shelf gradient.
Much interest has recently been devoted to reconstructing the dynamic structure of ecological systems on the basis of time-series data. Using 10 years of monthly data on phyto- and zooplankton abundance from the Bay of Biscay (coastal to shelf-break sites), we demonstrate that the interaction between these two plankton components is approximately linear, whereas the effects of environmental factors (nutrients, temperature, upwelling and photoperiod) on these two plankton population growth rates are nonlinear. With the inclusion of the environmental factors, the main observed seasonal and inter-annual dynamic patterns within the studied plankton assemblage also indicate the prevalence of bottom-up regulatory control.
Stenseth
Nils Chr
NC
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. n.c.stenseth@bio.uio.no
Llope
Marcos
M
Anadón
Ricardo
R
Ciannelli
Lorenzo
L
Chan
Kung-Sik
KS
Hjermann
Dag Ø
DØ
Bagøien
Espen
E
Ottersen
Geir
G
D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D008954:Models, Biological; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D017440:Photoperiod; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000254:growth & development; D010933:Plankton / Q000254:growth & development*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000254:growth & development