Role Of Constant Nutrient Input In a Detritus Based Open Marine Plankton Ecosystem Model

Abstract

We consider the mathematical formulation, analysis, and numerical solution of a 'nutrient-phyto-plankton-zooplankton-detritus' model in an open marine system. For a realistic representation of the open marine plankton ecosystem, we have incorporated various natural phenomena such as dissolved limiting nutrient with general nutrient uptake function, detritus remineralization. For the model with constant nutrient input and different constant washout rates, conditions for boundedness of the solutions, existence and stability of non-negative equilibria are given. It is observed that constant nutrient input plays a vital role in changing different steady state behaviour of the system. Finally, it is observed that the constant nutrient input and respiration rate of phytoplankton play an important role to change steady state to oscillatory behaviour of the system. Computer simulations illustrate the results.