@article{fdi:010082289, title = {{O}n the sensitivity of plankton ecosystem models to the formulation of zooplankton grazing}, author = {{C}henillat, {F}anny and {R}iviere, {P}. and {O}hman, {M}. {D}.}, editor = {}, language = {{ENG}}, abstract = {{M}odel representations of plankton structure and dynamics have consequences for a broad spectrum of ocean processes. {H}ere we focus on the representation of zooplankton and their grazing dynamics in such models. {I}t remains unclear whether phytoplankton community composition, growth rates, and spatial patterns in plankton ecosystem models are especially sensitive to the specific means of representing zooplankton grazing. {W}e conduct a series of numerical experiments that explicitly address this question. {W}e focus our study on the form of the functional response to changes in prey density, including the formulation of a grazing refuge. {W}e use a contemporary biogeochemical model based on continuum size-structured organization, including phytoplankton diversity, coupled to a physical model of the {C}alifornia {C}urrent {S}ystem. {T}his region is of particular interest because it exhibits strong spatial gradients. {W}e find that small changes in grazing refuge formulation across a range of plausible functional forms drive fundamental differences in spatial patterns of plankton concentrations, species richness, pathways of grazing fluxes, and underlying seasonal cycles. {A}n explicit grazing refuge, with refuge prey concentration dependent on grazers' body size, using allometric scaling, is likely to provide more coherent plankton ecosystem dynamics compared to classic formulations or size-independent threshold refugia. {W}e recommend that future plankton ecosystem models pay particular attention to the grazing formulation and implement a threshold refuge incorporating size-dependence, and we call for a new suite of experimental grazing studies.}, keywords = {{PACIFIQUE} ; {CALIFORNIE} {COURANT}}, booktitle = {}, journal = {{PL}o{S} {O}ne}, volume = {16}, numero = {5}, pages = {e0252033 [27 p.]}, ISSN = {1932-6203}, year = {2021}, DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0252033}, URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010082289}, }