Maximal growth rates of Antarctic phytoplankton: Only weak dependence on cell size

• Published in: Limnology and Oceanography
• Main Author: Sommer, Ulrich
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1989
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Oceanography; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.1989.34.6.1109; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.1989.34.6.1109; https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1989.34.6.1109

Maximal growth rates of 15 Antarctic phytoplankton species at 0°C ranged from 0.32 to 0.72 d −1 , showing only a weak dependence on cell size. Comparisons were made with two models for size dependence of temperature‐corrected rates of maximal growth. Schlesinger's general phytoplankton model predicts a strong size dependence of growth rates and grossly underestimates the maximal growth rates of the larger species, but gives reasonable estimates for the smallest ones. Banse's marine diatom model assumes a weak size dependence of growth rates and gives generally better predictions.