The effect of reproduction of algal cells in aggregates and computational efficiency in an aggregation model

The clustering, or aggregation, of algal cells plays an important role in the dynamics of oceanic algal populations. A model of the algal aggregation process was presented by Ackleh, Hallam, and Smith (1994) for a specific phytoplankton species, diatoms. The model represents algal aggregation and several related factors including nitrogen levels, a predator population (zooplankton), and settling or sedimentation of aggregates. The purpose of the current study is twofold: 1) to decrease the time required for a simulation run, and 2) to create a more realistic, flexible mechanism for handling cell reproduction in which aggregates may increase in size due to reproduction of their constituent cells. It was found that these objectives necessitated other minor modifications in the modeling methodology.