Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Also available in print.

Em viveiros de camarÃo, a comunidade fitoplanctÃnica pode apresentar padrÃes de desenvolvimento associados aos fatores biÃticos, abiÃticos e operacionais. O presente estudo objetivou caracterizar as mudanÃas semanais na composiÃÃo e biomassa fitoplanctÃnica em um viveiro de engorda do camarÃo Litopenaeus vannamei. CamarÃes com 1,35  0,63 cm de comprimento corporal foram povoados em um viveiro de 3,3 ha sob densidade de 42,4 indivÃduos/m2. As amostragens de Ãgua foram realizadas no estuÃrio (E), canal de abastecimento (C), no platà (P) e ponto de descarga (D) de Ãgua do viveiro. As amostragens qualitativas do fitoplÃncton foram realizadas atravÃs de arrastos horizontais com rede de 20 &#956;m. Para anÃlise de clorofila a e contagem do nÃmero de organismos fitoplanctÃnicos foram coletadas amostras de sub-superfÃcie. Simultaneamente, foram realizadas anÃlises da temperatura, salinidade, oxigÃnio dissolvido, pH, transparÃncia, profundidade, fosfato, silÃcio reativo, nitrogÃnio amoniacal, nitrito, nitrato e material em suspensÃo da Ãgua. O camarÃo foi despescado apÃs 85 dias de engorda, alcanÃado 11,18 g de peso mÃdio, FCA de 1,85 e sobrevivÃncia de 52,9%. A raÃÃo contribuiu com 92,1 e 95,8% de aportes de nitrogÃnio e fÃsforo no viveiro, com o restante atribuÃdo a fertilizantes quÃmicos. Os valores de matÃria orgÃnica no solo do viveiro apresentaram-se estatisticamente mais elevados em D (31,99  13,66 g/kg) quando comparado à P (4,10  1,56 g/kg; P < 0,05). Contudo, o pH do solo destas estaÃÃes nÃo apresentou diferenÃa estatÃstica significativa (P > 0,05), alcanÃando mÃdia de 7,86  0,40 para P e 7,82  0,65 para D. Enquanto a temperatura da Ãgua foi semelhante para as estaÃÃes de amostragem (P > 0,05), o pH apresentou-se estatisticamente mais elevado para P e D (8,45 e 8,47, respectivamente; P < 0,05). A salinidade oscilou entre 10â (E) e 35â (C, P e D), com nÃveis mais baixos no inÃcio do ciclo. O fosfato dissolvido oscilou entre 0,01 mg/l (C) e 0,24 mg/l (P) e o nitrito entre 0,002 mg/l (C, P e D) e 0,05 mg/l (P). O NitrogÃnio Total Dissolvido nÃo apresentou diferenÃa estatÃstica significativa ao longo do cultivo (P > 0,05), exceto para E. As razÃes de N:P, N:Si e Si:P foram abaixo da razÃo de Redfield em todas as estaÃÃes de amostragem, exceto para Si:P nas estaÃÃes E e C. A clorofila a variou entre 1,63 &#956;g/l (C) a 184,83 &#956;g/l (D). P e D apresentaram aumento progressivo de clorofila a ao longo do cultivo. O padrÃo da sucessÃo fitoplanctÃnica no estuÃrio e canal foi distinto do observado no viveiro, onde foi observada inicialmente a predominÃncia de diatomÃceas seguida por floraÃÃes excessivas de cianofÃceas e euglenofÃceas, intercalado por uma floraÃÃo de dinoflagelados detectado no 22Â. Dia de cultivo. Os aportes elevados de raÃÃo e fertilizantes no viveiro foram os fatores que tiveram maior contribuiÃÃo para o desenvolvimento destas floraÃÃes de microalgas potencialmente nocivas ao camarÃo. Os nutrientes dissolvidos (N-NH3,4, N-NO2 -, N-NO3 -, P-PO4 3- e Si) desempenharam uma maior influÃncia sobre o desenvolvimento do fitoplÃncton no viveiro de cultivo. / In shrimp ponds, the phytoplankton community can exhibit development patterns associated with environmental, operational and biological factors. The present study characterized the weekly phytoplankton composition and biomass changes in a pond over the growth cycle of Litopenaeus vannamei. Shrimp of 1.35  0.63 cm in body length were stocked in a 3.3 ha pond under 42.4 animals/m2. Water sampling took place in the estuary (E), water inlet canal (C), pond plateau (P) and near the pond water drainage outlet (D). Horizontal net sampling was carried out with a 20 &#956;m mesh net for taxonomic identification of phytoplankton. For chlorophyll a and phytoplankton counting samplings were conducted on the water sub-surface. Simultaneously, water analysis was carried out for temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, visibility, depth, phosphate, reactive silicate, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite and suspended solids. Shrimp were harvested after 85 days of rearing and achieved 11.18 g in body weight, 1.85 FCR and 52.9% survival. Feed contributed with 92.1% and 95.8% of nitrogen and phosphorous inputs into the pond, with the remainder attributed to chemical fertilizers. Pond soil organic matter was statistically higher in D (31.99  13.66 g/kg) when compared to P (4.10  1.56 g/kg; P < 0.05). However, soil pH between these sampling stations did not show statistically significant differences (P > 0.05), achieving a mean of 7.86  0.40 for P and 7.82  0.65 for D. While water temperature showed a similar trend for all sampling stations (P > 0.05), water pH was statistically higher for P and D (8.45 and 8.47, respectively; P < 0.05). Water salinity varied between 10â (E) and 35â (C, P and D), with minimum levels observed in the initial phases of the study. Dissolved phosphate ranged from 0.01 mg/l (C) to 0.24 mg/l (P) and nitrate from 0.002 mg/l (C, P and D) to 0.05 mg/l (P). Total Dissolved Nitrogen showed no statistically significant differences throughout the growth cycle (P > 0.05), except for E. The N:P, N:Si and Si:P molar ratios were below Redfield suggested ratios, except for Si:P in E and C. Chlorophyll a varied between 1.63 &#956;g/l (C) and 184.83 &#956;g/l (D). In P and D, chlorophyll a increased progressively throughout the study period. In the pond, phytoplankton showed an ecological succession different from the E and C. In P and D, diatoms predominated initially, but it was followed by excessive blooms of cyanophytes and euglenophytes. High inputs of feed and fertilizers were the main contributors for these blooms, potentially harmful to shrimp. The dissolved nutrients ((N-NH3,4, N-NO2 -, N-NO3-, P-PO4 3- e Si) carried out a larger influence on the phytoplankton development in the pond.

A study of the phytoplankton communities of Lake Ray Roberts was conducted at three sampling sites on two sampling dates during the summer of 1995, assessing both community structure and chlorophyll a concentrations. Eight similarity indices were then used to characterize and compare the communities of these sites. Both community similarity and chlorophyll a concentrations were evaluated using a minimum detectable difference equation to determine the amount of change that must occur in these parameters in order to be deemed statistically significant. The Bray-Curtis Index was shown to be the most adequate index evaluated, and was subsequently used in conjunction with bootstrap analysis to determine the similarity between the three sampling sites.

Ziel der Arbeit ist die Analyse des Phyto- und Bakterioplanktons in der Talsperre Saidenbach sowie die Identifizierung von Einflussfaktoren auf deren Zusammensetzung. Dazu wurde die mikrobielle Gemeinschaft im Freiwasser von 2013 bis 2015 monatlich in einer Vorsperre sowie an drei Probenahmestellen im Hauptbecken der Talsperre untersucht. Zur Quantifizierung und Differenzierung des Bakterioplanktons wurden Fluoreszenzmikroskopie, Durchflusszytometrie, CARD-FISH, denaturierende Gradienten-Gelelektrophorese, Klonierung und 16S-Amplikonsequenzierung eingesetzt. Die Auswertung der Daten erfolgte durch Korrelations- und Clusteranalysen sowie NMDS unter Einbeziehung hydrophysikalischer und hydrochemischer Parameter, meteorologischer Daten sowie der Daten zur Phytoplanktongemeinschaft. Darüber hinaus wurden Verfahren zum Monitoring typischer Organismengruppen im Pelagial etabliert bzw. auf ihre Eignung hin untersucht: Die spektrofluorometrische Erfassung von Phytoplanktongruppen mit Hilfe einer Tauchsonde wurde anhand mikroskopischer Analysen des Phytoplanktons validiert. Für die Quantifizierung und Differenzierung des autotrophen Picoplanktons (APP) wurde eine durchflusszytometrische Methodik entwickelt und die Resultate ebenfalls anhand mikroskopischer Zählungen überprüft. Die mit der FluoroProbe Sonde (bbe Moldaenke GmbH) ermittelten Chlorophyll-Konzentrationen für vier Algengruppen zeigten im Vergleich zu den mikroskopischen Analysen gute Übereinstimmung für die spektrale Gruppe der Diatomeen (incl. Haptophyceen, Dinophyceen, Chrysophyceen), während für die spektralen Gruppen der Grünalgen (incl. Desmidiaceen), Cyanobakterien und Cryptophyta z.T. deutliche Abweichungen auftraten. Die relative Zusammensetzung des Phytoplanktons wies ebenfalls deutliche Unterschiede zwischen FluoroProbe-Messungen und Mikroskopie auf, die vor allem in einer Überschätzung des Anteils von Grünalgen und einer generellen Unterschätzung von Cyanobakterien anhand der Sondenmessungen bestanden. Ein wesentlicher Vorteil der Sondenmessungen besteht jedoch in der Möglichkeit zur in-situ Aufnahme von Tiefenprofilen. Die Abschätzung der Zusammensetzung und Abundanz des Phytoplanktons in der Wassersäule vor Ort kann zur gezielten Probenahme genutzt werden und ergänzend Informationen zu nicht mikroskopisch analysierten Horizonten liefern. Die Sondenmessungen eignen sich jedoch nicht als Ersatz für mikroskopische Analysen und sollten nicht unabhängig von diesen betrachtet werden. Für die Quantifizierung des APP wurde eine durchflusszytometrische Methodik entwickelt, die im Vergleich zur Mikroskopie präzise Zellzahlen ergab und auch die Anteile phycocyanin- und phycoerythrinhaltiger Picoplankter zutreffend widerspiegelte. Der geringe Zeitaufwand für die durchflusszytometrischen Messungen ermöglicht es, das APP in einer höheren räumlichen und zeitlichen Auflösung zu untersuchen. Die statistische Auswertung in Hinblick auf die erhobenen Umweltparameter zeigte für die Abundanz der Picoplankter in den oberflächennahen Wasserschichten signifikante Zusammenhänge zur Wassertemperatur und dem pH-Wert. Unter den untersuchten Nährstoffen spielte nur die Nitratkonzentration in der Vorsperre und im Unterwasservorbecken eine Rolle. In der bakteriellen Gemeinschaft der Talsperre Saidenbach und der Vorsperre Forchheim wurden als dominante Taxa anhand von Klonierung und 16S-Amplikonsequenzierung typische Süßwasservertreter der jeweiligen Phyla nachgewiesen, z.B. hgcI-clade (Actinobacteria), Limnohabitans (Betaproteobacteria) und C. Pelagibacter (Alphaproteobacteria). Clusteranalysen für DGGE-Profile und 16S-Amplikonsequenzierungsdaten zeigten häufig Ähnlichkeiten der mikrobiellen Gemeinschaft in Vorsperre und Unterwasservorbecken sowie teilweise mit Proben späterer Zeitpunkte aus den weiter stromabwärtsgelegenen Probenahmestellen (S, E). Dies spiegelt möglicherweise einen Längstransport der Arten in der Talsperre wider und bedeutet für die Bewirtschaftung, dass in Vorsperren nicht nur Nährstoffelimination durch gezieltes Phytoplanktonwachstum und –sedimentation stattfindet, sondern sich auch Bakteriengruppen etablieren, die sich bei geeigneten ökologischen Bedingungen auf stromabwärts gelegene Kompartimente der Talsperre ausbreiten können. Die Zusammensetzung des Bakterioplanktons zeigte für einen Teil der Proben jahresübergreifend wiederkehrende saisonale Muster. Vor allem Proben des Jahres 2013 unterschieden sich jedoch deutlich von den entsprechenden Zeiträumen der anderen Jahre, worin sich meteorologische Besonderheiten (verkürzte Frühjahrszirkulation, sommerliches Starkregenereignis) widerspiegeln. Für die untersuchten Umweltparameter wurden in den aufeinanderfolgenden Jahren jeweils verschiedene Zusammenhänge zur Zusammensetzung des Bakterioplanktons festgestellt. Sowohl anhand der 16S-Amplikonsequenzierungsdaten als auch der DGGE-Profile konnten keine jahresübergreifend wirksamen Umweltfaktoren ermittelt werden, was auch auf den kurzen Untersuchungszeitraum von drei Jahren zurückzuführen ist. Vor allem ist aber davon auszugehen, dass im Gewässerökosystem stets mehrere Faktoren zusammenwirken und mehrstufige, z.T. zeitlich verzögerte Beziehungen zwischen den abiotischen und biotischen Komponenten bestehen. Für die Entwicklung der Ökosystemkomponenten spielen vor allem in den meso- und oligotrophen Standgewässern auch durch die Zirkulations- und Schichtungsverhältnisse eine entscheidende Rolle, die derzeit durch klimatische Veränderungen einem starken Wandel unterworfen sind. Die entsprechenden Veränderungen der mikrobiellen Gemeinschaft sind nicht absehbar und sollten in Anbetracht ihrer Stoffwechselleistungen im Gewässer ein wesentliches Element langfristiger Untersuchungen sein. Effiziente Verfahren zur Untersuchung verschiedener Komponenten des Phyto- und Bakterioplanktons können dazu einen wichtigen Beitrag leisten.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Southern Ocean (SO) is of significant interest in the understanding of the global carbon cycle and therefore many studies have been conducted to determine the limiting factors controlling the biological pump within the region. During photosynthesis phytoplankton require various nutrients such as NO3, PO4, inorganic carbon and the micronutrient Fe. The SO is a High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll region, therefore no macronutrient limitation is experienced by resident phytoplankton but instead the micronutrient Fe is a significant limiting factor within these waters due to limited inputs. Due to deep mixed layer depths, ice cover, low sun angles and cloud cover throughout parts of the year, light is also considered a limiting factor in the SO. Fe and light limitation cause a decrease in photosynthetic efficiency and therefore a decrease in carbon fixation capabilities. During this study we conducted five bioassay shipboard incubation experiments during two cruises along the Greenwich meridian between South Africa and the ice edge, SOSCEx during March and SAFePool during January to February, in which we varied Fe concentrations and light levels to determine the effects of Fe and light limitation or co-limitation within resident phytoplankton. Spatial and temporal variations in phytoplankton response were studied to determine varying effects of limitation across water masses and different stages of bloom decline within the study area. The combined addition of Fe and light gave the largest increase in biomass, photosynthetic capacity and nutrient uptake. In support of the hypotheses tested changes in the photosynthetic apparatus led to changes in the photosynthetic efficiency and growth of the SO phytoplankton, as a result of variations in Fe and light availability. Variability was also observed in the response of phytoplankton to Fe and light amendments due to spatial and temporal variation in resident phytoplankton communities. It was therefore concluded that both Fe and light are significant controls in the resident phytoplankton photosynthetic apparatus, photosynthetic capabilities, organic carbon fixation and therefore the biogeochemical cycles within the Atlantic sector of the SO. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suidelike Oseaan (SO) is van beduidende belang in die begrip van die globale koolstofsiklus en dus is baie studies gedoen om die beperkende faktore te bepaal wat die biologiese pomp in die streek beheer. Tydens fotosintese benodig fitoplankton verskillende voedingstowwe soos NO3, PO4, anorganiese koolstof en die mikrovoedingstof Fe. Die SO is 'n High-Nutrient Lae-Chlorofil streek, dus word geen makrovoedingstof beperking ervaar deur inwoner fitoplankton maar in plaas daarvan is die mikrovoedingstof Fe 'n beduidende beperkende faktor binne hierdie waters weens beperkte insette. As gevolg van diep gemengde laag dieptes, ysbedekking, lae son hoeke en wolkbedekking deur dele van die jaar, word lig ook beskou as 'n beperkende faktor in die SO. Fe en lig beperking veroorsaak 'n afname in die fotosintetiese doeltreffendheid en dus 'n afname in koolstof binding vermoëns. Tydens hierdie studie het ons vyf biotoets inkubasie eksperimente aan boord die skeep gedoen tydens twee vaarte langs die Greenwich meridiaan tussen Suid-Afrika en die ys rand, SOSCEx gedurende Maart en SAFePool gedurende Januarie tot Februarie, waarin ons Fe konsentrasies en lig vlakke gewissel het om die gevolge van Fe en lig beperking, of medebeperking, binne inwoner fitoplankton te bepaal. Ruimtelike en temporale variasies in fitoplankton reaksie was bestudeer om wisselende gevolge van die beperking oor watermassas en verskillende stadiums van bloei afname in die studie area te bepaal. Die gekombineerde byvoeging van Fe en lig het die grootste toename in biomassa, fotosintetiese kapasiteit en voedingsopname gegee. Ter ondersteuning van die getoetste hipoteses, veranderinge in die fotosintetiese apparaat het gelei tot veranderinge in die fotosintetiese doeltreffendheid en groei van die SO fitoplankton, as 'n gevolg van variasies in Fe en lig beskikbaarheid. Veranderlikheid is ook waargeneem in die reaksie van fitoplankton om Fe en lig wysigings weens die ruimtelike en tydelike variasie in inwoner fitoplankton gemeenskappe. Dus was dit by die gevolgtrekking gekom dat beide Fe en lig beduidende kontrole in die inwoner fitoplankton fotosintetiese apparaat, fotosintetiese vermoëns, organiese koolstof binding en daarom die biogeochemiese siklusse binne die Atlantiese sektor van die SO.

Eutrophication is one of the primary factors causing harmful cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater lakes; climate change such as warmer temperature can potentially further increase both frequency and intensity of blooms. This study investigated the long-term changes in water quality and summer phytoplankton assemblages in Oswego Lake, OR, in relation to lake management practices (e.g., hypolimnetic aeration and alum treatments), as well as climatic and regional meteorological conditions. Both water quality and phytoplankton assemblages were sampled biweekly during summer seasons between 2001 and 2013. The concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total nitrogen (TN) decreased 66%, 93% and 31%, respectively, in response to the hypolimnetic aeration and alum treatments since 2005. The results of summer phytoplankton assemblages showed a 62% reduction of cyanobacteria biovolume and a switch from cyanobacteria dominance (2001-2005) to diatom and chlorophyte dominance (2006-2013). Cluster analysis identified four statistically different groups of summer phytoplankton assemblages (denoted Groups 1-4). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis indicated that the four groups were associated with different water quality conditions. Group 1 occurred prior to hypolimnetic aeration and was primarily comprised of cyanobacteria, associated with water conditions of high nutrients and high primary production. Group 2, dominated by cyanobacteria and chlorophytes, occurred between hypolimnetic aeration and alum surface application. Group 2 was associated with turbid water conditions. Group 3 was dominated by diatoms, occurring after alum surface application. Group 4 included R-strategist phytoplankton that quickly respond to environmental changes, occurring in the years following alum injection, drawdown and inflow alum treatment. Both Group 3 and 4 were associated with reduced nutrients in the lake. The results demonstrated a strong temporal relationship between the long-term changes in water quality and summer phytoplankton assemblages and the lake management practices. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index, an El-Niño-like pattern of Pacific climate variability, showed a statistically significant correlation with the summer phytoplankton dynamics, while the multivariate ENSO index (MEI) and regional meteorological variables (air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction and solar radiation) were not significantly related to the changes of phytoplankton communities during the study period. In conclusion, the study results suggest that the lake management practices had strong effects on both production and community compositions of phytoplankton, and suggest the need for a future study on large-scale climate impacts on lake ecosystems and best management practice.

Västervik Municipality has had problems with odorous compounds in its primary water source, Lake Hjorten. Geosmin and cyanobacterial blooms have been detected in the lake. This report aims to experimentally investigate the cyanobacterial populations in the primary and secondary freshwater lakes depending on the climate change factor temperature. An understanding of number of cells is the foundation to understand the potential harmful chemical levels. This provides an opportunity to predict the water quality in the lakes in the future due to climate change. The results show that cyanobacteria did not benefit from an increase in temperature from 10°C to 18°C solely during autumn. However, the diatom Aulacoseira did increase in numbers although it is not known to produce odorous compounds. Consequently a warmer Swedish autumn would not cause worse drinking water quality in absence of other contributing factors according to this study.

Small but mighty phytoplankton can be used as excellent model organisms to answer questions that are of importance to marine biologists and researchers in experimental evolution alike. For example, marine biologists are interested in finding out, how, in a changing ocean, the phytoplankton foundation of the ocean ecosystem is going to change - can we use short-term data to extrapolate to longer timescales? What are the physiological consequences of selection in stable and fluctuating high-pCO2 environments? From a more evolutionary perspective, is elevated pCO2 alone enough to drive evolution in marine algae? Can we select organisms to maintain plasticity in fluctuating environments, and how does selection in a fluctuating environment affect their ability to evolve? Can we detect a cost of plasticity? I have used theoretical and practical approaches from both disciplines to answer these questions, as they are ultimately similar questions that are important to address, and the lack of communication between disciplines has lead to conflicting predictions on the fate of populations in changing environments. Using evolutionary theory and applying it to an organism with a known function in the marine environment allows us to make ecologically relevant predictions while also enabling us to disentangle the underlying evolutionary mechanisms. While there have been some studies focusing on evolution of marine algae in climate change scenarios since I started my PhD, my study is the first to test the link between phenotypic plasticity and adaptation empirically, and it is also the first to use 16 rather than single or few genotypes of an algae, thereby creating the statistical power necessary to make any predictions. In a short-term CO2 enrichment study, and a selection experiment, those 16 physiologically and genetically distinct lineages of Ostreococcus, the smallest free living eukaryote, were selected for 400 generations in fluctuating and stable high pCO2 environments. I have shown that short-term plastic responses in phenotype can predict the magnitude of long-term evolutionary ones. Ostreococcus lineages in fluctuating environments evolve to be more plastic with no associated costs, and the adaptive response to selection in a high pCO2 environment is to grow more slowly in monoculture, but to be more successful competitors in mixed culture. High-pCO2 evolved lineages are genetically and physiologically different from their ancestors. Importantly, their quality as a food source for zooplankton will change, with possible repercussions for the ocean ecosystem at a whole. Furthermore, the lineages’ ability to perceive pCO2 levels in the surrounding medium is altered after evolution in fluctuating and high pCO2 environment, allowing them to broaden the window in which they can respond to changes in their environment without suffering metabolic stress.

Recent research in microbial ecology has focused on how aquatic bacterial communities are assembled. Only a few of these studies follow a “Gleasonian” approach where the roles of single bacterial populations are in focus. In this thesis, novel molecular tools were used to describe the distribution and evolutionary relationships of microbes in productive aquatic environments. Many new phylogenetic groups of bacteria were identified, likely representing bacterial populations restricted to productive freshwaters. I also addressed the dynamics and functional role of individual bacterial populations in eutrophic lakes and brackish environments with a focus on either biogeochemically significant or potentially pathogenic representatives. Flavobacteria blooms were observed, on occasions characterized by high heterotrophic production. In addition to high temporal dynamics microbial community composition and function differed on the spatial scale, as exemplified by free-living and Cyanobacteria-associated habitats. At the community scale, microbial processes, such as biomass production and substrate uptake could be predicted from the presence and absence of individual bacterial populations. I also studied the niches of potentially pathogenic Vibrio populations in various coastal waters. Using a novel culture-independent method, a V. cholerae population was detected along the entire Swedish coastline. Results from an environmental survey and a laboratory mesocosm experiment reveal that phytoplankton-derived dissolved organic matter enhance the growth of V. cholerae and other Vibrio spp. and hence create a largely overlooked niche for these heterotrophic bacteria. This thesis and future work on the role of individual bacterial populations will facilitate predictions of biogeochemical cycles and the distribution of bacteria in the context of global climate change and local eutrophication.

Dynamical systems theory and bifurcation are used to analyze some simple models of nutrient limited phytoplankton growth. The models are restricted to batch culture type conditions allowing the use of a mass balance constraint. Two popular models from the literature, the Michaelis-Menton-Monod or M³ model, and the Droop internal nutrient model are analyzed and found to yield unreasonable predictions for certain ambient environmental conditions. The M³ model predicts that the population size becomes unbounded at equilibrium for certain values of the parameters. The Droop model predicts that the amount of nutrient left over during a nutrient uptake experiment would be very small, regardless of how large the initial external nutrient concentration is. Numerical comparisons of data with the predictions from both models demonstrate that the conditions for unreasonable behavior could occur both in cultures and in natural aquatic ecosystems. In the predicted nutrient concentration at uptake equilibrium is several orders of magnitude off. Two specific enzyme mechanisms for nutrient transport are proposed as alternatives to current models. The models differ in the assumptions made about how the backflow reaction with the enzymes responsible for transport proceeds. A nutrient uptake equation for each model is derived directly from the enzyme kinetics, while the equation for growth in population size is taken from the Droop model. The dynamics of both models are analyzed, treating the nutrient uptake equations with the singular perturbation assumption. The simple model predicts that the external nutrient concentration at uptake equilibrium should be a constant percentage of the internal concentration, while in the inhibition uptake model, the population size could exhibit relaxation type oscillations during the batch culture steady state. Qualitative evidence supporting both models is discussed. Applications of these models to water quality simulation and implications for theoretical ecology are discussed.