Linking physiology to ecology: towards a new generation of plankton models

摘要: Understanding how the plankton communities change under varying environmental conditions is crucial to assessing effects of global on marine ecosystems. Marine community evolution generated from nonlinear combination biotic and abiotic ecosystem forcing and, therefore, an emergent property difficult predict. The adequacy current modelling approaches for generating properties discussed suggestions are made new directions that may better capture It suggested more emphasis placed underlying mechanism cell physiology foodweb interactions less empirical or numerical parameter fitting. Biogeochemistry ecology can be considered as by a limited number "physiological rules" (photosynthesis, respiration, antioxidant response, autophagy etc.) which "prescribed" common all phytoplanktonic organisms. challenge design generic captures essence key physiological activities nutrient endocytotic uptake, ingestion, oxyradical defence mechanisms etc.). Once we have such model cell, then define functional types in terms their capacity implement each function (i.e. allocate resources within cellular functions) hence generate biogeochemical structure response changes. Ultimately, there need think differently creatively about ecosystems modelled.