Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandra Iannino, Patrick Fink, Markus Weitere
Summary: This study examined the effects of light and phosphorus availability on grazer growth and the long-term control of algal biomass. Results showed significant impacts of light, phosphorus, and grazing on algal biomass, with the interactive effects of the three factors changing over time. The findings highlight the role of feedback effects and the importance of long-term experiments in the study of foodweb interactions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tin Phan, James J. Elser, Yang Kuang
Summary: Organism growth is determined by multiple resources interdependently, but traditional growth models based on the Droop cell quota framework only consider single-resource limitations. To overcome this limitation, we propose a multiple-resource limitation growth function and incorporate it into an existing producer-grazer model. Our proposed model captures various experimental observations and provides bounds on the expected growth of an organism. It is also more mathematically tractable compared to other stoichiometric models.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Colleen M. Davies, Hao Wang
Summary: Research shows that the turnover rate of producer biomass in aquatic ecosystems is generally faster than in terrestrial ecosystems. The WKL model describes the flow of phosphorus and carbon through a grazer-producer system, and varying the model parameters can impact the dynamics of different ecosystems of this type. Analysis reveals that the intrinsic growth rate of the producer and the maximal ingestion rate of the grazer play a crucial role in determining the turnover rate and dynamics of the ecosystem.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jana Isanta-Navarro, Nelson G. Hairston, Jannik Beninde, Axel Meyer, Dietmar Straile, Markus Moest, Dominik Martin-Creuzburg
Summary: Researchers studied the impact of nutrient pollution on the freshwater keystone grazer Daphnia in a large lake with a documented history of eutrophication and oligotrophication, using decades-old genotypes. The experiments revealed rapid evolution of grazer resistance to harmful cyanobacteria in response to nutrient enrichment in the mid-20th century, followed by re-emergence of susceptible genotypes with reduced nutrient input. This study provides a rare example of reversed evolution of a fitness-relevant trait in response to relaxed selection, showing that anthropogenic changes such as lake pollution can lead to rapid evolution. Comparing Daphnia populations adapted to historical pollution with contemporary populations post-cleanup showed a rapid reversal of evolved resistance to harmful cyanobacteria.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Jianqiang Zhang, Qingning Cao, Xiuli He
Summary: This paper explains the counter-intuitive practice of online platforms voluntarily referring customers to their direct competitors by developing a game-theoretic model. The study finds that when platforms and sellers are integrated, competitor referral will intensify competition and thus no platform is willing to refer its competitor voluntarily. However, when platforms serve as independent marketplaces for sellers, they may voluntarily refer their competitors to address the issue of double marginalization. The research also shows that if two platforms serve one common seller and the seller does not charge discriminated prices for the same product, referral can also be applied.
ANNALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Josephine Gronning, Thomas Kiorboe
Summary: Diatoms can become sticky and form aggregates when exposed to chemical copepod cues, which is an adaptive strategy to reduce predation losses. Nutrient limitation does not increase stickiness, and exposure to copepod cues can lead to a reduction in cell chain length.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Bryan Brummelhaus De Menezes, Lucas Mironuk Frescura, Rafael Duarte, Marcos Antonio Villetti, Marcelo Barcellos Da Rosa
Summary: The DPPH method has been used with misconceptions in research studies, leading to the need for attention to unit selection and reaction stoichiometry. By correcting the data, results closer to the ideal value were obtained.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew G. T. Pyo, Yaojun Zhang, Ned S. Wingreen
Summary: This study investigates the influence of component stoichiometry on the surface properties of biomolecular condensates. The results show that unequal stoichiometry leads to enrichment of the majority species at the interface and a sharp reduction of surface tension. It is found that the reduction in surface tension scales linearly with the excess concentration of free binding sites at the interface.
Article
Economics
Miguel Angel Ropero
Summary: This article presents a two-period model where a firm operates in both a monopoly and a duopoly market, using private information to limit competition and increase average prices in both markets.
SOUTHERN ECONOMIC JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Mathematics
Liang Cao, Azhar Halik, Ahmadjan Muhammadhaji
Summary: In this paper, a Lotka-Volterra (L-V) competitor-competitor-mutualist system with time-varying delays is studied. The boundedness, permanence, periodic solution, and global attractiveness of the system are analyzed and derived. Numerical simulations using MATLAB function ddesd are conducted to validate the theoretical results. Conclusions are drawn in the final section.
Review
Immunology
Timothy Cardozo, Lila Cardozo, Mohamed Boutjdir
Summary: Autoimmune diseases are often associated with autoantibodies that target self-antigens. A potential therapeutic approach is to design soluble molecules that can block the binding of these autoantibodies to self-antigens, thereby preventing tissue damage. This review discusses the known decoy molecules, the opportunities provided by monoclonal antibody and structural biology advances, and the challenges in implementing this approach. The potential application of this strategy in cardiac phenotypes, specifically Ro-associated long QT syndrome, is also discussed.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Allison T. Karp, J. Tyler Faith, Jennifer R. Marlon, A. Carla Staver
Summary: The study found that herbivore extinction leads to an increase in grassy ecosystem fire activity, especially in regions on continents with the most severe losses of grazers. Conversely, declines in browsers had no such effect. These shifts suggest that herbivory can have global effects on fire activity, and the impacts of herbivores should be explicitly considered when predicting changes in global fire activity in the past and future.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Bingnan Tang
Summary: A new fractional-order prey-predator model was established in this study, with discussions on its existence and stability. Computer simulations with Matlab software were conducted to validate the analysis conclusions, which play an important role in maintaining population balance in the natural world.
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Wojciech Czakon, Katarzyna Czernek-Marszalek
Summary: Our study aims to understand how tourism managers perceive their competitors, finding that they develop a detailed understanding of collaboration with competitors and identify their rivals precisely, interpreting this to either facilitate collaboration or to remain in rivalrous mode, depending on their behavioral disposition.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biology
Colleen M. Davies, Hao Wang
Summary: Climate change models predict an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, which will stimulate photosynthesis but may be limited by soil nutrients and changes in producer nutritional quality. By extending the WKL model, the study analyzes the impacts of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on producer-grazer dynamics, finding that carbon sequestration can be limited by insufficient phosphorus and lead to decreased producer stoichiometric quality.
JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Suzana Goncalves Leles, Aditee Mitra, Kevin John Flynn, Urban Tillmann, Diane Stoecker, Hae Jin Jeong, JoAnn Burkholder, Per Juel Hansen, David A. Caron, Patricia M. Glibert, Gustaaf Hallegraeff, John A. Raven, Robert W. Sanders, Mikhail Zubkov
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2019)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kevin J. Flynn, Aditee Mitra, Konstantinos Anestis, Anna A. Anschutz, Albert Calbet, Guilherme Duarte Ferreira, Nathalie Gypens, Per J. Hansen, Uwe John, Jon Lapeyra Martin, Joost S. Mansour, Maira Maselli, Nikola Medic, Andreas Norlin, Fabrice Not, Paraskevi Pitta, Filomena Romano, Enric Saiz, Lisa K. Schneider, Willem Stolte, Claudia Traboni
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Mark L. Wells, Bengt Karlson, Angela Wulff, Raphael Kudela, Charles Trick, Valentina Asnaghi, Elisa Berdalet, William Cochlan, Keith Davidson, Maarten De Rijcke, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Gustaaf Hallegraeff, Kevin J. Flynn, Catherine Legrand, Hans Paerl, Joe Silke, Sanna Suikkanen, Peter Thompson, Vera L. Trainer
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Anna-A Anschutz, Kevin J. Flynn
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Judith Rumin, Elodie Nicolau, Raimundo Goncalves de Oliveira, Claudio Fuentes-Gruenewald, Kevin J. Flynn, Laurent Picot
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kevin J. Flynn, David O. F. Skibinski
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisa K. Schneider, Kevin J. Flynn, Peter M. J. Herman, Tineke A. Troost, Willem Stolte
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kevin J. Flynn, Aditee Mitra, William H. Wilson, Susan A. Kimmance, Darren R. Clark, Angela Pelusi, Luca Polimene
Summary: Rapid virus proliferation has a significant impact on phytoplankton populations, affecting marine biogeochemistry and ecology. The interactions between viruses, hosts, grazers, and competitors generate boom-and-bust dynamics, suppressing potentially successful phytoplankton species. Virus control of bloom development is more important than virus-induced termination, influencing plankton succession and competition.
Article
Plant Sciences
Marc-Andre Cormier, Jean-Baptiste Berard, Gael Bougaran, Clive N. Trueman, Daniel J. Mayor, Richard S. Lampitt, Nicholas J. Kruger, Kevin J. Flynn, Rosalind E. M. Rickaby
Summary: The traditional separation between primary producers and consumers in the marine food web is being replaced by the paradigm of mixoplankton, which are planktonic protists capable of both heterotrophy and autotrophy. This shift in understanding has implications for primary production, biomass transfer, and CO2 sequestration in the deep ocean. However, there is currently no tool to quantify the relative contributions of autotrophy and heterotrophy in planktonic protists, hindering our understanding of carbon cycling in marine ecosystems. This study explores the use of hydrogen isotopic signature of lipid biomarkers as a novel tool to investigate the prevalence of mixotrophy in marine microorganisms.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kevin J. Flynn, Ricardo Torres, Xabier Irigoien, Jerry C. Blackford
Summary: Digital twins are simulation models that closely replicate reality and are mistaken for real by experts. Plankton, with their simple physiology and ecological significance, are suitable biological targets for digital twinning. Constructing dynamic plankton digital twins would contribute to education, hypothesis testing, and ecosystem model construction, as well as enhance engagement with modeling and increase confidence in predictive simulations.
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Aditee Mitra, Kevin J. Flynn, Diane K. Stoecker, John A. Raven
Summary: Analysis of trait trade-offs helps simplify and understand the complexities of ecology. The presence and diversity of mixoplankton in surface ocean waters can be explained by their evolution from different lineages and their ability to function competitively in mature ecosystems. However, there is no clear evidence to support trait trade-off arguments in plankton research, except for acquired phototrophy in mixoplanktonic ciliates versus zooplanktonic ciliates.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Aditee Mitra, David A. Caron, Emile Faure, Kevin J. Flynn, Suzana Goncalves Leles, Per J. Hansen, George B. McManus, Fabrice Not, Helga do Rosario Gomes, Luciana F. Santoferrara, Diane K. Stoecker, Urban Tillmann
Summary: This research discovered that protist plankton can perform both photosynthesis and food uptake, and they are called mixoplankton. This finding changes the structure of marine food webs. The researchers created a comprehensive database of mixoplankton, which helps scientists understand the physiological traits and trophic interactions of these organisms, as well as identify knowledge gaps.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kevin J. Flynn, John A. Raven
Summary: An error in our original work led us to reevaluate the factors constraining photoautotrophic plankton growth rates (mu(max)). Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase-Oxygenase does not provide this constraint, but we identified other factors that suggest our previously suggested value of approximately 2 doublings per day is still likely representative of the maximum for most photoautotrophs. mu(max) likely evolves a balance between competitive advantage and minimizing stress caused by various limiting factors. Organisms with extremely high mu(max) are expected to grow under specific conditions that provide a stable environment with non-limiting nutrients and light for sufficient time to evolve higher mu(max). Conditions allowing for higher mu(max) include exploiting exceptional opportunities and entering stasis, or situations where high grazing pressures match high phytoplankton growth, maintaining non-limiting nutrient and light conditions. However, the latter conflicts with the paradox of enrichment, as predator-prey dynamics only achieve necessary stability under resource limitation. Ultimately, phototroph mu(max) is constrained by ecology, not biophysics.
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kevin J. Flynn, Aditee Mitra
Summary: Plankton phototrophy and heterotrophy have opposing effects on seawater pH. Mixoplankton, which can engage in both activities, have the potential to create a stable pH environment for plankton growth. However, most mixoplankton groups do not stabilize seawater pH. Enhanced phototrophy in mixoplankton through phagotrophy can elevate pH, especially for certain mixoplankton types. Mixoplankton blooms can exceed phytoplankton blooms and can enhance primary production. The dynamics of these blooms depend on the consumption of heterotrophs and/or phototrophs and the succession of the plankton community.
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Urban Tillmann, Aditee Mitra, Kevin J. Flynn, Michaela E. Larsson
Summary: This study reveals that small planktonic Prorocentrum species capture prey by crafting mucus traps, which enhance their mixoplanktonic feeding activity. These traps can either passively entangle prey or actively immobilize them through water movement. This feeding strategy facilitates faster growth and is common among certain clades of small Prorocentrum species.