Cell size as driver and sentinel of phytoplankton community structure and functioning

Body size is a decisive functional trait in many organisms, especially for phytoplankton, which span several orders of magnitude cell volume. Therefore, the analysis as driving species’ performance has received wide attention aquatic ecology, amended recent decades by studies documenting changes phytoplankton response to abiotic or biotic factors environment. We performed systematic literature review provide an overarching, partially quantitative synthesis driver and sentinel ecology. found consistent significant allometric relationships between sizes species (cellular rates carbon fixation, respiration exudation well resource affinities, uptake content). Size scaling became weaker, absent even negative when addressing C- volume-specific growth. C-specific photosynthesis population growth rate peaked at intermediate around 100 µm3. Additionally, we rich on changing warming, nutrients pollutants. Whereas small cells tended dominate under oligotrophic warm conditions, there are few notable exceptions, indicates that other environmental constraints alter this general trend. Grazing seems likely explanation, reviewed understand both how affects edibility structure grazing. Cell also predisposes strength outcome competitive interactions algal species. Finally, address community context, where size-abundance describes composition thereby biodiversity assemblages. conclude (a) highly predictive metabolism cellular scale, with less strong nonlinear implications specific (b) suitable responses environments. A free Plain Language Summary can be within Supporting Information article.