| The Droop model allows to represent microalgae growth limited by a nutrient, using a cell quota (also referred to as variable-yield) approach. Single-cell measurements have revealed quota heterogeneity in phytoplankton collected from field studies. Such heterogeneity can be due, among other factors, to spatial structure (e.g. in biogeochemical cycles in the ocean, or for photobioreactors connected in series). Nonetheless, quota heterogeneity is generally omitted in modelling studies, using an average quota approach, or included in size-structured or individual-based models. Here, we propose a distributed Droop equation to tackle this problem, considering subpopulation growth -in line with Droop macroscopic view- rather than cell division dynamics. We... |
