Physics of sinking and selection of plankton cell size |
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| Authors: | R Sciascia S De Monte A Provenzale |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, CNR, Corso Fiume, 4, 10133 Torino, Italy;2. Doctorate Program in Fluid Dynamics, Politecnico di Torino, Italy;3. CNRS, UMR 7625 “Ecologie et Evolution”, Paris, F-75005, France;4. Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR 7625 “Ecologie et Evolution”, Paris, F-75005, France;5. Institut de Biologie de l?Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 7625 “Ecologie et Evolution”, Paris, F-75005, France |
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| Abstract: | Gravitational sinking in the water column is known to affect size composition of planktonic communities. One important driver toward the reduction of plankton size is the fact that larger cells tend to sink faster below the euphotic layer. In this work, we discuss the role of gravitational sinking in driving cell size selection, showing that the outcome of phytoplankton competition is determined by the dependence of sinking velocity on cell size, shape, and on the temporal variability associated with turbulence. This opens a question on whether regional modulations of the turbulence intensity could affect size distribution of planktonic communities. |
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| Keywords: | Heavy particle dynamics Particle sinking Fluid dynamics Plankton Ecosystems |
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