Planktonic successions are short ones, truncated by inputs of external energy. Thus, long-term data can involve different stages with different interaction rules. Any model used to describe planktonic dynamics must take this variation in growth and interaction rates into account. In this paper we study a simple two-dimensional discrete map of predator-prey interaction and explore how the variation of parameters can affect the dimensionality of the system. Implications for the characterization of real planktonic time series in the light of dynamical systems theory are also discussed.

Peer reviewed