Lewis S. Incze

ABSTRACT

This brief synthesis examines recent developments in the field of small-scale biological-physical interactions in the water column, especially the development of "turbulence theory" in plankton ecology, introduced in 1988, and observations of turbulence-enhanced feeding rates in field and laboratory studies, mostly since 1990. Evidence supports the idea that mixing has a strong positive impact on feeding by some organisms, and attempts to explain this in terms of increased encounter rates have led to more critical examinations of animal behavior and more sophisticated treatment of feeding interactions in models. This work is in early stages, however. The full range and complex spatial and temporal patterns of turbulence in the field are difficult to measure, and in the laboratory turbulence is supplied over a narrow range compared to that in the ocean. Intermittency of turbulence must lead to patchiness of organisms and vorticity on many scales; thus, spatial and temporal aspects of patch structures and behavioral responses of predators and prey to a variety of sensory inputs must be considered. New sampling methods, especially video recording, have been instrumental to recent progress and can help link statistical descriptions of patch size and organism responses to larger scale forcing.