Light is an essential resource for phytoplankton and fluctuates on a wide r
ange of timescales. To understand how light fluctuations affect phytoplankt
on community structure and diversity, we have studied a set of simple model
s using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques. Light fluctua
tions can affect community structure when species exhibit the gleaner-oppor
tunist trade-off between competitive ability and ability to reach carrying
capacity quickly. Fast fluctuations can switch the competitive dominant fro
m a gleaner to an opportunist; slow fluctuations can cause this switch and
also lead to stable coexistence. Coexistence is easiest between species tha
t are highly differentiated along the gleaner-opportunist trade-off. Our re
sults remain qualitatively unchanged when more realistic light fluctuations
such as daily and seasonal changes in irradiance and the presence of a spa
tial gradient in light are considered. Seasonal change in day length may be
one of the factors driving the seasonal succession of phytoplankton, from
opportunist species dominant under shorter day lengths (spring and autumn)
to gleaner species dominant under longer day length (summer). These results
illustrate how resource fluctuations can have an important role in structu
ring ecological communities.