The Margalef mandala: a key tool to progress in the understanding of microplankton dynamics and harmful algal blooms

Abstract

In 1978, Margalef published one of his most cited papers “Life-form of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment”. There, he illustrated as a “tentative plot” an ecological space defined by nutrient availability and turbulence that structured the succession of the principal phytoplankton life-forms. This conceptual model, the later so-called “Margalef mandala”, has inspired generations of scientists in their aim to understand not only phytoplankton, but also microplankton communities dynamics in the ocean and coastal waters. The particular inclusion of the “red tide dinoflagellates” in the mandala attracted in particular the harmful algal bloom researchers. The mandala has been modified, expanded, rotated and reinterpreted; it has incorporated new concepts, fostering positive feed-back of ideas and research. This presentation will illustrate some of the mandalas defined in the context of harmful algal blooms research, and will be devoted to Margalef and many of the researchers that, inspired by his mandala have contributed to the progresses of understanding the events and also prevent their impacts on human health and the ecosystems