Spatiotemporal Complexity of Plankton and Fish Dynamics

TLDR

Nonlinear dynamics, chaos, and complex systems have reshaped our understanding of phenomena across science, including the multiscale interactions that govern aquatic ecosystems. The study investigates how biological processes generate complexity and chaos in the spatiotemporal dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. The authors focus on the influence of biological processes on spatiotemporal pattern formation. Reaction‑diffusion modeling reveals fundamental mechanisms of complex plankton dynamics, fractal fish school movements, and their interrelationships.

Abstract

Nonlinear dynamics and chaotic and complex systems constitute some of the most fascinating developments of late twentieth century mathematics and physics. The implications have changed our understanding of important phenomena in almost every field of science, including biology and ecology. This article investigates complexity and chaos in the spatiotemporal dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. The dynamics of these biological communities exhibit an interplay between processes acting on a scale from hundreds of meters to kilometers, controlled by biology, and processes acting on a scale from dozens to hundreds of kilometers, dominated by the heterogeneity of hydrophysical fields. We focus on how biological processes affect spatiotemporal pattern formation. Our results show that modeling by reaction-diffusion equations is an appropriate tool for investigating fundamental mechanisms of complex spatiotemporal plankton dynamics, fractal properties of planktivorous fish school movements, and their interrelationships.