The Living Whirl Self-Maintenance of Stable Size Structure Patterns of Aquatic Communities

Our aim was to analyse size structure typical patterns of phytoplankton and mechanisms explaining such pattern generation and persistence. Long-time study of the size structure of integral phytoplankton and their main phyla was carried out in considerably different aquatic ecosystems. Several types of statistical distributions and quantitative indices of the pattern similarity were applied to find reliable patterns suitable for ecological forecast. Even with apparently unsystematic shifts in the taxonomic composition, the emergence and long-time restoration of extremely analogous spreading patterns of the integral phytoplankton and their main taxonomic parts were ascertained. The biodiversity histogram (FTSS) pattern steadiness was found for integral phytoplankton assemblages. Specific changes in the FTSS fine structure of some phytoplankton phyla were evident. Several phyla were remarkably susceptible to environmental changes. Such phyla can serve for diagnostics. Long-tailed asymmetric histograms were established as enduring traits elucidated by a multi-stressor mechanism of aquatic assemblage self-maintenance. Consistent patterns and quantitative similarity indices can characterize integral assemblage stability. Such patterns can be applied to develop mathematical models elucidating multi-stress proliferation in hierarchical structures of aquatic assemblages. Consistent structural patterns of large-scale aquatic assemblages can help in ecological modelling, aquatic management, and forecast.