The northern Gulf of Aqaba is an oligotrophic water body hosting valuable coral reefs. In the Gulf, phytoplankton dynamics are driven by an annual cycle of stratification and mixing. Superimposed on that fairly regular pattern was the establishment of a shallow-water fish-farm initiative that increased gradually until its activity was terminated in June 2008. Nutrient, water temperature, irradi...

The cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae and many other phytoplankton species have a complex life cycle that includes a resting stage (akinete). We present a new agent-based (also known as individual-based) model of Anabaena that includes the formation and behavior of akinetes. The model is part of a coupled Eulerian– Lagrangian model and can reproduce the main features of the observed seasonal a...

Nutrients are elements or compounds that are essential for the growth and survival of plants. Plants require large amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), but only small amounts of others such as boron (B), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and chlorine (Cl) (micronutrients)...

This paper presents methods for the parameter identification of a model of subtilin production by Bacillus subtilis. Based on a stochastic hybrid model, identification is split in two subproblems: estimation of the genetic network regulating subtilin production from gene expression data, and estimation of population dynamics based on nutrient and population level data. Techniques for identifica...

When microbes are subjected to temporal changes in nutrient availability, growth rate and substrate affinity can contribute to competitive fitness and thereby affect microbial community structure. This hypothesis was tested using planktonic bacterial communities exposed to nutrient additions at 1-, 3-, 7-, or 14-day intervals. Growth rates after nutrient addition were inversely proportional to ...

Each year, millions of hatchery-raised fish are stocked into streams and rivers worldwide, yet the effects of hatchery-raised fish on stream nutrient cycles have seldom been examined. We quantified the influence of supplemental nonnative fish stocking, a widespread recreational fishery management practice, on in-stream nutrient storage and cycling. We predicted that supplemental, hatchery-raise...

Nutrient dynamics in the Bela watershed, Nepal were examined using a range of GIS budget modelling and field analysis techniques. The fertility status analysis showed that soil acidity, phosphorus availability, and lack of base cations were the key soil fertility issues. Nutrient budget calculations revealed significant annual phosphorus deficits for maize rota­ tions, but only minor deficits i...

In lakes and reservoirs in which Daphnia is able to suppress the biomass of edible algae far below the level set by nutrients, the interaction is stable across the range of nutrient-poor to nutrient-rich environments. This phenomenon contradicts standard consumer–resource models, which predict that dynamics should become increasingly unstable with enrichment. We test four hypotheses that might ...

The influence of sedimentation rates on biogeochemistry of riparian forests was studied near ephemeral streams at Fort Benning, GA. Upper reaches of seven ephemeral streams had received varying rates of sedimentation stemming from erosion along unpaved roadways at the military installation. Two reference catchments were also included in the study. Decomposition of foliar litter, microbial C and...