Linking population dynamics models with empirically derived models through phytoplankton primary production

There are alternative methods for estimation of phytoplankton primary production (PP) that are fundamentally different in the calculation approach. The process-oriented PP model is a mechanistic, empirically derived method based on the photosynthesis–light relationships. The population dynamics-based PP calculation, which is a synthetic method, provides a production estimate based on population dynamics of phytoplankton. These alternative methods were here compared with regard to production estimates and linked to enhance the performance of the existing models of population dynamics applied to a wide variety of lakes worldwide in terms of morphometry, nutrient status, and light environments. Estimates of primary production were shown to be sensitive to changes in phytoplankton sinking and zooplankton grazing rates in both methods. Production estimates in the process-oriented PP model were also sensitive to light-associated parameters such as day length. Although the production estimated...