The amazing morphological diversity of phytoplankton has to be considered an evolutionarily driven compendium of strategies to cope with the strong variability and unpredictability of the pelagic environment. Phytoplankton collects unicellular and colonial photosynthetic organisms adapted to live in apparent suspension in turbulent water masses. Turbulence represents a key driver of phytoplankton dynamics in all aquatic ecosystems and phytoplankton morphological variability is the evolutionary response of this group of photosynthetic organisms to the temporal and spatial scales of variability of turbulence. This paper reviews the existing literature on the effects exerted by turbulence on phytoplankton populations and is aimed at showing how deeply turbulence contributes to the shape and size structure of phytoplankton assemblages. Our aim is to explore how turbulence governs phytoplankton access to resources and, at the same time, how the shape and size structure of phytoplankton represent the evolutionary way in which this group of organisms has optimised its survival in the highly dynamic aquatic environment. The paper is intended to serve as an homage to the (phytoplankton) ecologist Colin S. Reynolds. His life-long work highlighted how profoundly the ecology of phytoplankton depends on the physical constraints governing the movements of the water masses in which phytoplankton evolved and lives.

中文翻译：

---

悬浮生命及其对浮游植物形态的影响：向 Colin S. Reynolds 致敬

浮游植物惊人的形态多样性必须被视为一种进化驱动的策略纲要，以应对远洋环境的强烈可变性和不可预测性。浮游植物收集单细胞和群落光合生物，它们适合生活在湍流水团中的明显悬浮液中。湍流是所有水生生态系统中浮游植物动力学的关键驱动因素，浮游植物形态变异是这组光合生物对湍流时空变化尺度的进化反应。本文回顾了关于湍流对浮游植物种群影响的现有文献，旨在展示湍流对浮游植物组合的形状和大小结构的影响有多深。我们的目标是探索湍流如何控制浮游植物对资源的获取，同时，浮游植物的形状和大小结构如何代表这组生物在高度动态的水生环境中优化其生存的进化方式。该论文旨在向（浮游植物）生态学家 Colin S. Reynolds 致敬。他毕生的工作突显了浮游植物的生态在很大程度上取决于控制浮游植物进化和生活的水团运动的物理约束。该论文旨在向（浮游植物）生态学家 Colin S. Reynolds 致敬。他毕生的工作突显了浮游植物的生态在很大程度上取决于控制浮游植物进化和生活的水团运动的物理约束。该论文旨在向（浮游植物）生态学家 Colin S. Reynolds 致敬。他毕生的工作突显了浮游植物的生态在很大程度上取决于控制浮游植物进化和生活的水团运动的物理约束。