Dispersion characteristics of two planktonic diatoms

Not all phyloplankton behave as ideal water tracers. Longitudinaldispersion experiments were conducted in a large flume withseawater of constant depth and velocity. The transport of thepassive, fluorescent tracer, Rhodamine B dye, was compared withunialgal cultures of a large, fast-sinking diatom (Odontellachinensis) and a small, slow-sinking diatom (Skeletonema costatum).Horizontal dispersion rates, proportional to variance per distance,were linear for the dye and Skeletonema but nonlinear for Odontella.Results are explained by the interaction of Odontella sinkingand advection. Longitudinal dispersion coefficients for thedye and Skeletonema were between 60–80 cm² s^–1 andas high as 280 cm² s^–1 for Odontella. This may have implicationsfor nutrient uptake in natural phytoplankton populations.