On a cell-growth model for plankton

Math Med Biol. 2004 Mar;21(1):49-61. doi: 10.1093/imammb/21.1.49.

Abstract

The frequency distribution of diatoms (microscopic unicellular alga with silicified cell-walls, found as plankton) is shown to evolve in time as a steady-size distribution with constant shape, scaled by time. This distribution is preserved when the division occurs at a fixed size into two daughter cells of half-size. In cases where the parameters for growth, division frequency, dispersion and mortality are constants, the frequency distributions can be found explicitly and thus provide a benchmark for computations in more complex cases.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Division / physiology
  • Models, Biological*
  • Plankton / growth & development*