title: Microscale patches of nonmotile phytoplankton.
abstract: Phytoplankton cells have evolved sophisticated strategies for actively responding to environmental signals, most notably to mechanical stresses of hydrodynamic origin. A largely unanswered question, however, is the significance of these cellular responses for the largely heterogeneous spatial distribution of cells found in the oceans. Motivated by the physiological regulation of buoyancy prevalent in nonmotile phytoplankton species, we solve here a minimal model for "active" sinking that incorporates these cellular responses. Within this model, we show how buoyancy regulation leads to intense patchiness for nonmotile species as compared to passive tracers, resulting in important variations in settling speeds and, as a consequence, determining escape rates to the deep ocean.
authors: Área de Mecánica de Fluidos, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.|Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC, Esporles, Spain.
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Arrieta
authors: Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC, Esporles, Spain.
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Barreira
authors: Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC, Esporles, Spain.
authors: Idan
authors: I
authors: Tuval
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D008954:Models, Biological; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*