The allometry of algal growth rates

Tang, Evonne P. Y.

doi:10.1093/plankt/17.6.1325

Cited by 201 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

155

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The general agreement is that increasing cell size generally results in decreased growth rates (Tang 1995, Reynolds 1984. Along with size, the surface area/volume ratio of a cell is among the main determinants of its potential physiological performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Several models of phytoplankton growth rate have been used to predict whether large and small cells should predominate under different environmental conditions (Parsons & Takahashi 1973, Kagami & Urabe 2001. There is general agreement that smaller cells have faster growth rates (Reynolds 1984, Tang 1995. However, Kagami & Urabe (2001) found that cell size not always has a negative correlation with growth rate in their in situ experiment and suggested that allometric relationships between growth rate and cell size do not necessarily hold for algal communities in given natural habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The influence of environmental conditions on the morphological variability of phytoplankton in an oligo-mesotrophic Turkish lake

Akçaalan

Albay

Gürevin

et al. 2007

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phytoplankton species show a wide range of diversity in their morphometric characters, even among closely related genera within the same phylogenetic division (Huszar & Caraco 1998). This morphometric diversity may be the result of physiological adaptation to different environmental conditions (Margalef 1958). Thus, there has been considerable interest in classifying phytoplanktonic organisms into groups according to their morphometric characters, in order to understand the relationship between phytoplankton composition and environmental constraints. Reynolds (1997) has adapted Grime's (1973) scheme for terrestrial vegetation in 1973 to propose a framework for the morphological-functional description of phytoplankton composition, and in which organisms are partitioned in relation to three major strategies (R-, C-and Sstrategists), and which is very useful in explaining the phytoplankton dynamics in a given water body.Phytoplankton are also a main component of pelagic ecosystems, since they are a primary source of energy in aquatic food webs (Hutchinson 1967) and because phytoplankton size and shape play an important role in determining its availability to particular grazing animals. Phytoplankters can alter their size and shape with changing physical conditions, such as light intensity, nutrient deficiency, mixing etc., as well as for the avoidance of predator pressure. Cell size also influences algal growth rates. Reynolds (1984) stated that cell size and shape influence on the metabolic activity that underpins cell growth. The general rule is that the smaller the cell, the greater is the surface/volume ratio and so is its relative rate of nutrient uptake. Therefore, nutrient availability in a lake may have a direct effect on phytoplankton composition and biomass and, together with changes in physical conditions, may lead to changes in species dominance from ones having higher surface/ volume ratios to ones with lower S/V and vice versa. Long-term studies on phytoplankton composition give a good idea about temporal changes that have occurred in the character of a lake. Lake Sapanca, a natural waterbody located 80 km east of Istanbul, does not have a long history of phytoplankton studies. Records Phytoplankton dynamics and morphological plasticity were studied in an oligo-mesotrophic lake from late spring to early autumn in 2004 on a weekly to bi-weekly basis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of environmental constraints on morphological plasticity and size structure of dominant species through the stratified period of the lake. While centric diatoms developed mainly in the epilimnion, Fragilaria crotonensis, Synedra sp. and Synedra acus were very well distributed through the whole water column, as was the cryptophyte Plagioselmis nannoplanctica. A filamentous cyanobacterium, Planktothrix rubescens, was stratified in the metalimnion throughout the sampling period, while Mougeotia sp. was entrained through the whole water column during the early autumn. Surface area / volume (S/V) ratios were calculated fo...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of environmental conditions on the morphological variability of phytoplankton in an oligo-mesotrophic Turkish lake

Akçaalan

Albay

Gürevin

et al. 2007

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Size also influences how planktonic organisms relate to their hydrodynamic environment (Koehl and Strickler 1981;Monger and Landry 1990), as well as how they partition nutrients (Eppley et al 1969;Moloney and Field 1989), growth (Schlesinger et al 1981;Tang 1995;Nielsen 2006), respiratory losses (Banse 1976;Tang and Peters 1995), and other metabolic processes (Joint and Pomroy 1988;Joint 1991;Gillooly et al 2001) among the coinhabitants and potential competitors in a given environment. An understanding of size-specific processes is, therefore, important for understanding planktonic ecosystem dynamics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating size‐dependent growth and grazing rates and their associated errors using the dilution method

Taniguchi

Franks

Landry

2012

Limnology & Ocean Methods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Size-dependent properties are pervasive in nature but difficult to measure for natural communities. Here, we develop a technique to estimate size-specific phytoplankton growth and grazing rates based on the two-point dilution method, enhanced by the acquisition of the size spectra of the phytoplankton in the samples. We describe a way to estimate standard deviations associated with the rate estimates, which can be applied either to the size-dependent or total community rates. We tested the accuracy of rates estimated using the size-dependent dilution method by applying it to dilution experiments simulated using a complex size-structured ecosystem model. The strong agreement between model and size-dependent dilution method rates (two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, P = 1) supports the accuracy of this new technique. Because size-dependent rates vary with the size interval over which they are calculated, we display the size-dependent growth and grazing rates and their standard deviations as a function of the size interval. This technique easily allows the assessment of rates for any size class of interest. Finally, we apply the size-dependent dilution method to data collected in the equatorial Pacific. There is a general agreement between size-based and previously published taxonomic-based rates, with differences reflecting the extent to which size classes are mixtures of taxa. The use of the size-dependent dilution method will provide new insights into the structure and dynamics of planktonic communities. Future applications of this method to other natural communities will help in assessing the size-dependencies of phytoplankton growth and grazing rates in their environments.

show abstract

“…Cell volume and carbon quota have been used to estimate growth and respiratory rates in phytoplankton (e.g. Banse 1976, Tang 1995. Allometric models deal with cell volume and/ or carbon quota, and those relationships are assumed to be constant regardless of the environmental conditions (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon to volume relationship of Isochrysis galbana (Prymnesiophyceae) during cell divisions

Ishiwata

Ohi

Obata

et al. 2013

Plankton Benthos Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dependency of carbon cell quota (C) on cell volume (V) was studied for the Prymnesiophyte Isochrysis galbana. Changes in the cell volume and carbon quota during cell divisions were examined at 25°C in a continuous culture with an enriched f/2 medium under a 12/12 h light/dark cycle at an irradiance of 45, 150, and 365 μmol m 2 sec 1 . Carbon quota estimates followed the relation log C=b log V+log a, where b is the slope and log a is the intercept of the relationship. Significant relationships between carbon quota and cell volume during cell divisions were obtained at the three irradiances tested. The value of the slope and the intercept ranged from 0.59 to 0.98 and from 0.22 to 0.64, respectively, however, they were not significantly different between the three irradiances. The relationship between carbon quota to cell volume during cell divisions also corresponded well to previously published carbon quota to cell volume relationship values within the size range of nanophytoplankton ranging from 2 to 20 μm, even though the irradiances used in the experiments differed from those studied previously. Due to the close similarity in cell size and division manner between the majority of nanophytoplankton communities and I. galbana, the results of the present study can be applied to natural assemblages of nanophytoplankton to estimate their carbon biomass in the euphotic layer regardless of sampling time on a given day.

show abstract

The allometry of algal growth rates

Cited by 201 publications

References 24 publications

The influence of environmental conditions on the morphological variability of phytoplankton in an oligo-mesotrophic Turkish lake

The influence of environmental conditions on the morphological variability of phytoplankton in an oligo-mesotrophic Turkish lake

Estimating size‐dependent growth and grazing rates and their associated errors using the dilution method

Carbon to volume relationship of Isochrysis galbana (Prymnesiophyceae) during cell divisions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About