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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Chemotactic Response of Marine Micro-Organisms to Micro-Scale Nutrient Layers
22:38

Chemotactic Response of Marine Micro-Organisms to Micro-Scale Nutrient Layers

Published on: May 28, 2007

Microscale patchiness of nutrients in plankton communities.

J T Lehman, D Scavia

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |May 14, 1982
    PubMed
    Summary

    Zooplankton create nutrient patches, concentrating phosphorus-33. Algal cells entering these patches show higher labeling, demonstrating the impact of nutrient patchiness on phytoplankton competition and coexistence in aquatic ecosystems.

    Area of Science:

    • Aquatic Ecology
    • Marine Biology
    • Biogeochemistry

    Background:

    • Zooplankton play a crucial role in nutrient cycling within aquatic ecosystems.
    • Phytoplankton competition and coexistence are influenced by nutrient availability.
    • Understanding nutrient patch dynamics is key to marine ecological processes.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the existence and impact of micro-scale nutrient patches generated by zooplankton.
    • To determine how these nutrient patches affect algal cell nutrient uptake.
    • To explore the role of fluid turbulence in nutrient patch dispersal.

    Main Methods:

    • Autoradiography was employed to visualize and quantify the distribution of phosphorus-33 (a nutrient tracer).
    • Experiments involved controlled conditions to observe algal cell interactions with labeled nutrient patches.

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  • Fluid dynamics were manipulated by stirring to assess the effect of turbulence.

    • Main Results:

    • Algal cells entering zooplankton-produced phosphorus-33 patches accumulated significantly more label compared to those outside.
    • Increased fluid turbulence, induced by stirring, eliminated the differential labeling of algal cells.
    • This indicates that nutrient patchiness, at millimeter scales, is sensitive to physical mixing.

    Conclusions:

    • Zooplankton actively create nutrient-rich micro-environments that influence phytoplankton.
    • Nutrient patchiness, rather than uniform distribution, likely shapes phytoplankton competition and coexistence.
    • The physical environment, specifically turbulence, modulates the ecological significance of nutrient patches.