Abstract
Plankton populations undergo dramatic surges. Rapid increases and decreases by a factor of 10 or more are observed, often separated by relatively stable interludes. We propose a description of plankton communities as excitable systems. In particular, we present a model for the evolution of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations which resembles models for the behaviour of excitable media. The parameter dependency of the various “excitable” phenomena, trigger mechanism, threshold, and slow recovery, is clear, and permits ready investigation of the influence of properties of the physical environment, including variations in nutrient fluxes, temperature or pollution levels.
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Truscott, J.E., Brindley, J. Ocean plankton populations as excitable media. Bltn Mathcal Biology 56, 981–998 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02458277
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02458277