Principles of the light-limited chemostat: theory and ecological applications

Light is the energy source that drives nearly all ecosystems on planet Earth. Yet, light limitation is still poorly understood. In this paper, we present an overview of the principles of the light-limited chemostat. The theory for light-limited chemostats differs considerably from the standard theor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2002-01, Vol.81 (1-4), p.117-133
Main Author: Huisman, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria - growth & development
Bacteriological Techniques - instrumentation
Bacteriological Techniques - methods
Biodiversity
BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION
CELL CULTURES
Culture Media
Ecology
Ecosystem
Energy sources
FITOPLANCTON
FOTOSINTESIS
Light
LIGHT INTENSITY
MICROORGANISME
MICROORGANISMOS
MICROORGANISMS
PHOTOSYNTHESE
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHYTOPLANCTON
PHYTOPLANKTON
Phytoplankton - growth & development
Principles
PRODUCCION BIOLOGICA
PRODUCTION BIOLOGIQUE
Trees
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Summary:Light is the energy source that drives nearly all ecosystems on planet Earth. Yet, light limitation is still poorly understood. In this paper, we present an overview of the principles of the light-limited chemostat. The theory for light-limited chemostats differs considerably from the standard theory for substrate-limited chemostats. In particular, photons cannot be mixed by vigorous stirring, so that phototrophic organisms experience the light-limited chemostat as a heterogeneous environment. Similar to substrate-limited chemostats, however, light-limited chemostats do reach a steady state. This allows the study of phototrophic microorganisms under well-controlled light conditions, at a constant specific growth rate, for a prolonged time. The theory of the light-limited chemostat is illustrated with several examples from laboratory experiments, and a variety of ecological applications are discussed.
ISSN:0003-6072
1572-9699
DOI:10.1023/A:1020537928216