Abstract
AbstractThe paradox of the plankton highlights the apparent contradiction between Gause’s law of competitive exclusion and the observed diversity of phytoplankton. It is well known that phytoplankton dynamics depend heavily on light availability. Here we treat light as a continuum of resources rather than a single resource by considering the visible light spectrum. We propose a spatially explicit reaction–diffusion–advection model to explore under what circumstance coexistence is possible from mathematical and biological perspectives. Furthermore, we provide biological context as to when coexistence is expected based on the degree of niche differentiation within the light spectrum and overall turbidity of the water.
Funder
National Science Foundation
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Applied Mathematics,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Modeling and Simulation
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