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In the paper the statistical relationships between the size and production characteristics of phytoplankton and zooplankton of the Vistula and Curonian lagoons, the Baltic Sea, were investigated. Research phytoplankton and zooplankton within the Russian part of the area of the Vistula and the Curonian lagoon was carried out on the monthly basis (from April to November) within the framework of long-term monitoring program on evaluating of ecological status of the lagoons. The size structure of plankton is the basis for understanding of the development of production processes, mechanisms of formation of the plankton species diversity and functioning of the lagoon ecosystems. As results of the work it was found that the maximum rate of photosynthesis and the integral value of the primary production with a change in cell volume of phytoplankton are changed according to a power law. The result shows that the smaller the size of algal cells in phytoplankton communities the more actively occur metabolism and the more effective they assimilate the solar energy. It is shown that the formation of plankton species diversity in ecosystems of lagoons is closely linked with the size structure of plankton communities and with features of development of the production processes. It is proposed the structure of a spatially homogenous mathematical model of the plankton food chain for the lagoon ecosystems taking into account the size spectrum and the characteristics of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The model parameters are the sizedependent indicators allometrically linked with average volumes of cells and organisms in different ranges of their sizes. In the model the algorithm for changes over time the coefficients of food preferences in the diet of zooplankton was proposed. Developed the size-dependent mathematical model of aquatic ecosystems allows to consider the impact of turbulent exchange on the size structure and temporal dynamics of the plankton food chain of the Vistula and Curonian lagoons. The model can be used to study the different regimes of dynamic behavior of plankton systems depending on the changes in the values of its parameters and external influences, as well as to quantify the redistribution of matter flows in ecosystems of the lagoons.

Based on contents of phytoplankton pigments, fluorescence samples and some physico-chemical characteristics of the Rybinsk reservoir waters, searching for connections between biological and physicalchemical characteristics is working out. The standard methods of statistical analysis (correlation, regression), methods of description of connection between qualitative classes of characteristics, based on deviation of the studied characteristics distribution from independent distribution, are studied. A method of searching for boundaries of quality classes by criterion of maximum connection coefficient is offered.

A model of the phytoplankton abundance dynamics depending on changes in the content of chlorophyll in phytoplankton under the influence of changing environmental conditions is proposed. The model takes into account the dependence of biomass growth on environmental conditions, as well as on photosynthetic chlorophyll activity. The light and dark stages of photosynthesis have been identified. The processes of chlorophyll consumption during photosynthesis in the light and the growth of chlorophyll mass together with phytoplankton biomass are described. The model takes into account environmental conditions such as mineral nutrients, illumination and water temperature. The model is spatially distributed, the spatial variable corresponds to mass fraction of chlorophyll in phytoplankton. Thereby possible spreads of the chlorophyll contents in phytoplankton are taken into consideration. The model calculates the density distribution of phytoplankton by the proportion of chlorophyll in it. In addition, the rate of production of new phytoplankton biomass is calculated. In parallel, point analogs of the distributed model are considered. The diurnal and seasonal (during the year) dynamics of phytoplankton distribution by chlorophyll fraction are demonstrated. The characteristics of the rate of primary production in daily or seasonally changing environmental conditions are indicated. Model characteristics of the dynamics of phytoplankton biomass growth show that in the light this growth is about twice as large as in the dark. It shows, that illumination significantly affects the rate of production. Seasonal dynamics demonstrates an accelerated growth of biomass in spring and autumn. The spring maximum is associated with warming under the conditions of biogenic substances accumulated in winter, and the autumn, slightly smaller maximum, with the accumulation of nutrients during the summer decline in phytoplankton biomass. And the biomass in summer decreases, again due to a deficiency of nutrients. Thus, in the presence of light, mineral nutrition plays the main role in phytoplankton dynamics.

In general, the model demonstrates the dynamics of phytoplankton biomass, qualitatively similar to classical concepts, under daily and seasonal changes in the environment. The model seems to be suitable for assessing the bioproductivity of aquatic ecosystems. It can be supplemented with equations and terms of equations for a more detailed description of complex processes of photosynthesis. The introduction of variables in the physical habitat space and the conjunction of the model with satellite information on the surface of the reservoir leads to model estimates of the bioproductivity of vast marine areas. Introduction of physical space variables habitat and the interface of the model with satellite information about the surface of the basin leads to model estimates of the bioproductivity of vast marine areas.

We propose a three-component discrete-time model of the phytoplankton-zooplankton community, in which toxic and non-toxic species of phytoplankton compete for resources. The use of the Holling functional response of type II allows us to describe an interaction between zooplankton and phytoplankton. With the Ricker competition model, we describe the restriction of phytoplankton biomass growth by the availability of external resources (mineral nutrition, oxygen, light, etc.). Many phytoplankton species, including diatom algae, are known not to release toxins if they are not damaged. Zooplankton pressure on phytoplankton decreases in the presence of toxic substances. For example, Copepods are selective in their food choices and avoid consuming toxin-producing phytoplankton. Therefore, in our model, zooplankton (predator) consumes only non-toxic phytoplankton species being prey, and toxic species phytoplankton only competes with non-toxic for resources.

We study analytically and numerically the proposed model. Dynamic mode maps allow us to investigate stability domains of fixed points, bifurcations, and the evolution of the community. Stability loss of fixed points is shown to occur only through a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations. The Neimark – Sacker scenario leading to the appearance of quasiperiodic oscillations is found to realize as well. Changes in intrapopulation parameters of phytoplankton or zooplankton can lead to abrupt transitions from regular to quasi-periodic dynamics (according to the Neimark – Sacker scenario) and further to cycles with a short period or even stationary dynamics. In the multistability areas, an initial condition variation with the unchanged values of all model parameters can shift the current dynamic mode or/and community composition.

The proposed discrete-time model of community is quite simple and reveals dynamics of interacting species that coincide with features of experimental dynamics. In particular, the system shows behavior like in prey-predator models without evolution: the predator fluctuations lag behind those of prey by about a quarter of the period. Considering the phytoplankton genetic heterogeneity, in the simplest case of two genetically different forms: toxic and non-toxic ones, allows the model to demonstrate both long-period antiphase oscillations of predator and prey and cryptic cycles. During the cryptic cycle, the prey density remains almost constant with fluctuating predators, which corresponds to the influence of rapid evolution masking the trophic interaction.

With the data obtained by hydrobiological monitoring of water objects of Don river for many years (1978-1988) calculation of rank distribution parameters and indexes of dominance for phytoplankton species abundance was conducted. The borders of investigated characteristics are calculated. They correspond to borders of ecological well-being - trouble conditions of phytoplankton communities. Ecologically tolerable levels for the core abiotic factors are found. Contribution of each of analyzed factors to a degree of ecological trouble is established.

Methods for establishing standards of environmental quality by data of ecological monitoring are proposed. These are: methods of bioindication by indices of species diversity and size structure of communities, by indices of fish productivity; method for searching for reasons of environmental trouble and ranking them by their contribution into the trouble; methods for standardization of factors which are important as causes of environmental trouble.

Approbation of calculation of borders of water quality classes for the purpose of ecological diagnosis and standardization by data of the Rybinsk reservoir is carried out. For bioindication indicators of phytoplankton fluorescence and the contents of pigments of phytoplankton are used. Chesnokov's importance coefficient proved to be the most preferred measure of connection for analyzing the effects of environmental factors on indicators. The factors important for environmental condition are identified. Comparison of borders between quality classes “valid” and “invalid” of factors values and boundaries of the classifications of water quality.

A vertically distributed three-component model of marine ecosystem is considered. State of the plankton community with nutrients is analyzed under the active movement of zooplankton in a vertical column of water. The necessary conditions of the Turing instability in the vicinity of the spatially homogeneous equilibrium are obtained. Stability of the spatially homogeneous equilibrium, the Turing instability and the oscillatory instability are examined depending on the biological characteristics of zooplankton and spatial movement of plankton. It is shown that at low values of zooplankton grazing rate and intratrophic interaction rate the system is Turing instable when the taxis rate is low. Stabilization occurs either through increased decline of zooplankton either by increasing the phytoplankton diffusion. With the increasing rate of consumption of phytoplankton range of parameters that determine the stability is reduced. A type of instability depends on the phytoplankton diffusion. For large values of diffusion oscillatory instability is observed, with a decrease in the phytoplankton diffusion zone of Turing instability is increases. In general, if zooplankton grazing rate is faster than phytoplankton growth rate the spatially homogeneous equilibrium is Turing instable or oscillatory instable. Stability is observed only at high speeds of zooplankton departure or its active movements. With the increase in zooplankton search activity spatial distribution of populations becomes more uniform, increasing the rate of diffusion leads to non-uniform spatial distribution. However, under diffusion the total number of the population is stabilized when the zooplankton grazing rate above the rate of phytoplankton growth. In general, at low rate of phytoplankton consumption the spatial structures formation is possible at low rates of zooplankton decline and diffusion of all the plankton community. With the increase in phytoplankton predation rate the phytoplankton diffusion and zooplankton spatial movement has essential effect on the spatial instability.

The biohydrochemical portrait of the White Sea is constructed on the CNPSi-model calculations based on long-term mean annual observations (average monthly hydrometeorological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological parameters of the marine environment) as well as on updated information on the nutrient input to the sea with the runoff of the main river tributaries (Niva, Onega, Northern Dvina, Mezen, Kem, Keret). Parameters of the marine environment are temperature, light, transparency, and biogenic load. Ecological characteristics of the sea “portrait” were calculated for nine marine areas (Kandalaksha, Onega, Dvinsky, Mezensky Bays, Solovetsky Islands, Basin, Gorlot, Voronka, Chupa Bay), these are: the concentration changes of organic and mineral compounds of biogenic elements (C, N, P, Si), the biomass of organisms of the lower trophic level (heterotrophic bacteria, diatomic phytoplankton, herbivorous and predatory zooplankton) and other ones (rates of substance concentration and organism biomass changes, internal and external substance flows, balances of individual substances and nutrients as a whole). Parameters of the marine environment state (water temperature, ratio of mineral fractions N < P) and dominant diatom phytoplankton in the sea (abundance, production, biomass, chlorophyll content a) were calculated and compared with the results of individual surveys (for 1972–1991 and 2007–2012) of the White Sea water areas. The methods for estimating the values of these parameters from observations and calculations differ, however, the calculated values of the phytoplankton state are comparable with the measurements and are similar to the data given in the literature. Therefore, according to the literature data, the annual production of diatoms in the White Sea is estimated at 1.5–3 million tons C (at a vegetation period of 180 days), and according to calculations it is ~2 and 3.5 million tons C for vegetation period of 150 and 180 days respectively.

A model, describing the influence of external factors on temporal evolution of phytoplankton distribution in a horizontally-homogenous water layer, is presented. This model is based upon the reactiondiffusion equation and takes into account the main factors of influence: mineral nutrients, insolation and temperature. The mineral nutrients and insolation act oppositely on spatial phytoplankton distribution. The results of numerical modeling are presented and the prospect of applying this model to reconstruction of phytoplankton distribution from sea-surface satellite data is discussed. The model was used to estimate the chlorophyll content of the Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan).