The paradox of the plankton was originally described in 1961 by G. Evelyn Hutchinson, who proposed that the paradox could be resolved by factors such as vertical gradients of light or turbulence, symbiosis or commensalism, differential predation, or constantly changing environmental conditions.
Hutchinson's initial explanation of the plankton puzzle posited that the puzzle might be overcome by factors like changes in light intensity, water movement, or interactions between organisms, as well as variations in predation pressure and shifting environmental conditions.