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Query: faculty: "FNWI" and publication year: "2010"

AuthorDuke ten Velden
TitleCoexistence between two phytoplankton species through competition : a possible answer to the Paradox of the Plankton
SupervisorJ.H.M. Verspagen
Year2010
Pages23
FacultyFaculty of Science
ProgrammeFNWI BSc Bèta-gamma
AbstractThe Paradox of the Plankton, posed by Hutchinson (1961), questions how such a high number of different phytoplankton species can coexist in a seemingly homogeneous habitat, while competing for the same resources. This contrasts resource competition theory. According to this theory, only that many species can coexist as there are resources. For nearly 50 years many theories tried to explain the problem but none of them seemed to completely explain the paradox. The concept of stable coexistence states that a coexistence through competition between different species is possible, if a trade off exists in their competitive abilities for different resources. In this study the occurrence of a stable coexistence in a competition for carbon between two green algae Monoraphidium griffithii and Chlorella vulgaris is researched, in order to give an explanation to the Paradox. The results were compared with a competition experiment for light and phosphorus between both species by Passarge et al. (2006) to validate the existence of a trade off. Chlorella outcompeted Monoraphidium in all three competitions, meaning that no stable coexistence arose. This is contrary to natural situations where both species are present in the water. Explanations for this coexistence in natural waters might be attributed to higher predation on Chlorella or through the existence of chaos in the food web.
Document type scriptie bachelor
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