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Plankton patchiness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2016

John Steele*
Affiliation:
D.A.F.S. Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen

Extract

Variability in space of plankton can arise from stochastic effects on growth and predation, and should be smoothed by horizontal diffusion of the water. The interactions of these factors within a non-linear system should permit small-scale perturbations to appear as larger-scale patches. A simple simulation illustrates this possibility.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Applied Probability Trust 1975 

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References

Steele, J. H. (1974) Spatial heterogeneity and population stability. Nature 248, 83.Google Scholar
Steele, J. H. (1974) Stability of plankton ecosystems, in Ecological Stability, Ed. Usher, and Williamson, . Chapman and Hall, London.Google Scholar
Steele, J. H. (1974) The Structure of Marine Ecosystems. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar