Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparing The Effects Of Interactive And Noninteractive Complementary Nutrients On Growth In A Chemostat, James P. Braselton, Martha L. Abell, Lorraine Braselton

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

We compare the effects of interactive and noninteractive complementary nutrients on the growth of an organism in the chemostat. We also compare these two situations to the case when the nutrients are substitutable. In previous studies, complementary nutrients have been assumed to be noninteractive. However, more recent research indicates that some complementary nutrient relationships are interactive. We show that interactive complementary and substitutable nutrients can lead to higher population densities than do noninteractive complementary nutrients. We numerically illustrate that if the washout rate is high, an organism can persist at higher densities when the complementary nutrients are interactive than when …