Spacial Variability in Plankton Size Structure and Community Composition Along Biogeochemical Gradients in the Pacific Ocean

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Spacial Variability in Plankton Size Structure and Community Composition Along Biogeochemical Gradients in the Pacific Ocean UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII LIBRARY SPACIAL VARIABILITY IN PLANKTON SIZE STRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY COMPOSITION ALONG BIOGEOCHEMICAL GRADIENTS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN A TIIESIS SUBMIITED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'! IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCEANOGRAPHY AUGUST 2007 By Tara M. Clemente Thesis Committee: David M. Karl, Chairperson Matthew J. Church Karin M. Bjorkman We certify that we have read this thesis and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Oceanography. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members for their time, encouragement, support and advice. My primary advisor, Dave Karl, who has challenged me to think critically and guided me throughout this study; Matt Church, for always leaving his door open and for giving me insight throughout this project; and Karin BjOrkman, who has been instrumental throughout this entire project especially in both the field and lab. I would like to thank the members of the HOT team for all their support and for their friendships. I'd like to thank the officers and crew of the RfV Kilo Moana for providing a safe and comfortable work place. Thanks to all the BEACH-BASH participants for their hard work and assistance with sample collection and data analysis, in particular Chief Scientist Karin BjOrkman, Eric Grabowski and Dan Sadler. For help in analysis I wish to acknowledge Bob Bidigare and Stephanie Christensen for HPLC, Karin BjOrkman, Susan Curless and Claire Mahaffey for dissolved nutrients and Karen Selph for flow cytometry. I'd like to thank my friends who stood by me throughout these last couple of years and gave me countless hours of advice, support and ice cream. I'd especially like to thank my family, my mom and dad for always supporting my goals no matter how strange they may have been at times; and for my sisters Jamie and Tracey, who were always available for those late night phone calls. I wish to give a special thanks to David Nichols whose support, friendship, and ability to make me laugh throughout these many years has been incredible. Lastly, I acknowledge the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Hawaii Ocean Time-series for providing financial support. iii ABSTRACT The size structure of upper ocean plankton assemblages appears to play an important role in determining the efficiency of the biological carbon pump and the resulting magnitude of biologically-mediated carbon export to the deep sea. To evaluate spatial variability in the size structure and community composition of plankton assemblages in the upper ocean measurements of size-fractionated chlorophyll a (Chi a), phycoerythrin and adenosine 5' -triphosphate (A1P) concentrations along with picoplankton abundances and taxonomic pigment biomarkers were assessed during the BEACH-BASH transect cruise from American Samoa to Honolulu, Hawaii in March 2005. Sampling for this study spanned four different biogeochemical provinces including the oligotrophic South Pacific Subtropical Gyre (SPSG), the relatively nutrient-enriched equatorial upwelling provinces, the Pacific Equatorial Divergence (PEQD) and the North Pacific Equatorial Countercurrent (PNEC), and the oligotrophic North Pacific Tropical Gyre (NPTG). Overall, nutrient concentrations were highest in the PEQD province, coinciding with the strong westerly South Equatorial Current (SEC) and the region of equatorial upwelling, and lowest in the SPSG and NPTG. Chi a and phycoerythrin concentrations throughout the transect were overwhelmingly dominated by picoplankton (0.2-2 f.UD.), accounting for 45 - 60 % of the total Chi a and 80 - 95 % of the total phycoerythrin throughout the transect. Flow cytometry measurements indicate that the picoplankton community composition was dominated by cyanobacteria of two genera; Prochlorococcus spp. and Synechococcus spp. and these groups accounted for most of the Chi a biomass throughout the transect. Picoeukaryotes also contributed to picoplankton abundances; however iv despite the likelihood of many species being present they remain largely unidentified. Total microbial biomass estimates via particulate ATP (P-ATP) measurements showed high variability with the occasional occurrence of larger heterotrophic organisms (>20 J.Lffi and 2-10 J.Lffi) which are not accounted for in Chi a biomass estimates. However, their distribution is sure to play an important role in regulating size structure and food web dynamics. Measurements of taxonomic pigment markers by HPLC confirmed the overwhelming dominance of prochlorophytes and cyanobacteria throughout the transect, however a transition in community composition in the PEQD province was observed. This transition was attributed to the increase in taxonomic pigment markers of chromophyte microalgae (i.e. prymnesiophytes, pelagophytes and diatoms). v TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Acknowledgements ..................................................................................ii Abstract ...............................................................................................iv List of Tables .......................................................................................viii List of Figures ........................................................................................ix Chapter I. Introduction ............................................................................. 1 Chapter 2. Spatial variability in plankton size structure and community composition along biogeochemical gradients in the Pacific Ocean ...........•......................5 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................5 2.1.1 Plankton size structure and community composition ................... 5 2.1.2 Biogeochemical provinces .................................................8 2.1.3 Equatorial Pacific Ocean ................................................. 11 2.1.4 Size-fractionation ..........................................................16 2.1.5 Objectives of this study .................................................. .17 2.2 Methods ............................................................................... 18 2.2.1 BEACH-BASH data ...................................................... 18 2.2.2 Sample collection and analysis ...........................................18 2.2.2.1 Nutrient analysis ................................................18 2.2.2.2 Chlorophyll a ................................................... 21 2.2.2.3 Phycoerythrin ...........•....................................... 22 2.2.2.4 Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) ........................... 23 2.2.2.5 Flow cytometry ................................................ 24 vi 2.2.2.6 HPLC pigments ................................................ 25 2.3 Results ................................................................................. 28 2.3.1 Habitat characteristics ....................................................28 2.3.1.1 Biogeochemical provinces ....................................28 2.3.1.2 Latitudinal distribution of temperature, salinity and Chl a .........................................................31 2.3.2 Nutrient distributions .....................................................33 2.3.2.1 Latitudinal distribution of dissolved inorganic nutrients.. 33 2.3.2.2 Dissolved inorganic nutrient ratios .................•........35 2.3.3 Plankton size structure ••••••••••••••••••.•.•••••••••••••••••••••.•.•.••.• 37 2.3.3.1 Chlorophyll a ...................................................37 2.3.3.2 Phycoerythrin ...•............................................•..42 2.3.3.3 Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) ........................... 44 2.3.4 Picoplankton community structure and taxonomic distribution ......47 2.3.4.1 Flow cytometry .............................•................. .47 2.3.4.2 HPLC pigments ................................................ 51 2.4 Discussion .............................................................................59 2.4.1 Nutrient dynamics .........................................................59 2.4.2 Phytoplankton size structure .............................................62 2.4.3 Community structure and taxonomic composition ...................67 2.4.4 Implications for the biological pump .......................•...........75 Chapter 3. Conclusions ...........................................................................77 References ...........................................................................................79 vii LIST OF TABLES 1. Detection limits, precision estimates and observed ranges .•..............................20 2. Abbreviations and taxonomic affinities of photosynthetic pigments .........•..........26 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figures 1. Conceptual view of major controls on recycled vs. export production .................• 6 2. Classification of planktonic organisms based on size ......................................7 3. BEACH-BASH transect cruise track ..........................................................9 4. Biogeochemical provinces sampled during BEACH-BASH .............................10 5. ADCP data showing current velocities ..................................................... 12 6. Sea surface temperature, wind and anomalies from TAD arrays ........................ 15 7. Depth profiles of temperature, chlorophyll a and soluble reactive phosphorus in each of the biogeochemical provinces ..................................................
Recommended publications
  • The Arctic Picoeukaryote Micromonas Pusilla Benefits
    Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2018-28 Manuscript under review for journal Biogeosciences Discussion started: 5 February 2018 c Author(s) 2018. CC BY 4.0 License. 1 The Arctic picoeukaryote Micromonas pusilla benefits 2 synergistically from warming and ocean acidification 3 4 Clara J. M. Hoppe1,2*, Clara M. Flintrop1,3 and Björn Rost1 5 6 1 Marine Biogeosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine 7 Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany 8 2 Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway 9 3 MARUM, 28359 Bremen, Germany 10 11 *Correspondence to: Clara J. M. Hoppe ([email protected] 12 13 14 15 Abstract 16 In the Arctic Ocean, climate change effects such as warming and ocean acidification (OA) are 17 manifesting faster than in other regions. Yet, we are lacking a mechanistic understanding of the 18 interactive effects of these drivers on Arctic primary producers. In the current study, one of the 19 most abundant species of the Arctic Ocean, the prasinophyte Micromonas pusilla, was exposed 20 to a range of different pCO2 levels at two temperatures representing realistic scenarios for 21 current and future conditions. We observed that warming and OA synergistically increased 22 growth rates at intermediate to high pCO2 levels. Furthermore, elevated temperatures shifted 23 the pCO2-optimum of biomass production to higher levels. Based on changes in cellular 24 composition and photophysiology, we hypothesise that the observed synergies can be explained 25 by beneficial effects of warming on carbon fixation in combination with facilitated carbon 26 acquisition under OA. Our findings help to understand the higher abundances of picoeukaryotes 27 such as M.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Strassert JFH, Hehenberger E, Del Campo J, Okamoto N, Kolisko M
    2018 Strassert JFH, Hehenberger E, del Campo J, Okamoto N, Kolisko M, Richards TA, Worden AZ, Santoro AE & PJ Keeling. Phylogeny, evidence for a cryptic plastid, and distribution of Chytriodinium parasites (Dinophyceae) infecting copepods. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.12701 Joo S, Wang MH, Lui G, Lee J, Barnas A, Kim E, Sudek S, Worden AZ & JH Lee. Common ancestry of heterodimerizing TALE homeobox transcription factors across Metazoa and Archaeplastida. BMC Biology. 16:136. doi: 10.1186/s12915-018-0605-5 Bachy C, Charlesworth CJ, Chan AM, Finke JF, Wong C-H, Wei C-L, Sudek S, Coleman ML, Suttle CA & AZ Worden. Transcriptional responses of the marine green alga Micromonas pusilla and an infecting prasinovirus under different phosphate conditions. Environmental Microbiology. Vol 20:2898-2912. Guo J, Wilken S, Jimenez V, Choi CJ, Ansong CK, Dannebaum R, Sudek L, Milner D, Bachy C, Reistetter EN, Elrod VA, Klimov D, Purvine SO, Wei C-L, Kunde-Ramamoorthy G, Richards TA, Goodenough U, Smith RD, Callister SJ & AZ Worden. Specialized proteomic responses and an ancient photoprotection mechanism sustain marine green algal growth during phosphate limitation. Nature Microbiology. Vol 3:781–790. Okamoto N, Gawryluk RMR, del Campo J, Strassert JFH, Lukeš J, Richards TA, Worden AZ, Santoro AE & PJ Keeling. A revised taxonomy of diplonemids Including the Eupelagonemidae n. fam. and a Type Species, Eupelagonema oceanica n. gen. & sp. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.12679 Orsi WD, Wilken S, del Campo J, Heger T, James E, Richards TA, Keeling PJ, Worden AZ & AE.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatial Variability of Picoeukaryotic Communities in the Mariana Trench Hongmei Jing1, Yue Zhang1,2, Yingdong Li3, Wenda Zhu1,2 & Hongbin Liu 3
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Spatial Variability of Picoeukaryotic Communities in the Mariana Trench Hongmei Jing1, Yue Zhang1,2, Yingdong Li3, Wenda Zhu1,2 & Hongbin Liu 3 Picoeukaryotes play prominent roles in the biogeochemical cycles in marine ecosystems. However, their Received: 14 June 2018 molecular diversity studies have been confned in marine surface waters or shallow coastal sediments. Accepted: 5 October 2018 Here, we investigated the diversity and metabolic activity of picoeukaryotic communities at depths Published: xx xx xxxx ranging from the surface to the abyssopelagic zone in the western Pacifc Ocean above the north and south slopes of the Mariana Trench. This was achieved by amplifying and sequencing the V4 region of both 18S ribosomal DNA and cDNA using Illumina HiSeq sequencing. Our study revealed: (1) Four super-groups (i.e., Alveolata, Opisthokonta, Rhizaria and Stramenopiles) dominated the picoeukaryote assemblages through the water column, although they accounted for diferent proportions at DNA and cDNA levels. Our data expand the deep-sea assemblages from current bathypelagic to abyssopelagic zones. (2) Using the cDNA-DNA ratio as a proxy of relative metabolic activity, the highest activity for most subgroups was usually found in the mesopelagic zone; and (3) Population shift along the vertical scale was more prominent than that on the horizontal diferences, which might be explained by the sharp physicochemical gradients along the water depths. Overall, our study provides a better understanding of the diversity and metabolic activity of picoeukaryotes in water columns of the deep ocean in response to varying environmental conditions. Marine picoeukaryotes, (i.e., picoplanktonic eukaryotes of <2 μm in size), are capable of photosynthetic, hetero- trophic and mixotrophic metabolisms1.
    [Show full text]
  • Rhythmicity of Coastal Marine Picoeukaryotes, Bacteria and Archaea Despite Irregular Environmental Perturbations
    Rhythmicity of coastal marine picoeukaryotes, bacteria and archaea despite irregular environmental perturbations Stefan Lambert, Margot Tragin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Jean-François Ghiglione, Daniel Vaulot, François-Yves Bouget, Pierre Galand To cite this version: Stefan Lambert, Margot Tragin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Jean-François Ghiglione, Daniel Vaulot, et al.. Rhythmicity of coastal marine picoeukaryotes, bacteria and archaea despite irregular environmental perturbations. ISME Journal, Nature Publishing Group, 2019, 13 (2), pp.388-401. 10.1038/s41396- 018-0281-z. hal-02326251 HAL Id: hal-02326251 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02326251 Submitted on 19 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Rhythmicity of coastal marine picoeukaryotes, bacteria and archaea despite irregular environmental perturbations Stefan Lambert, Margot Tragin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Jean-François Ghiglione, Daniel Vaulot, François-Yves Bouget, Pierre Galand To cite this version: Stefan Lambert, Margot Tragin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Jean-François Ghiglione, Daniel
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing the Role of Dust Deposition on Phytoplankton Ecophysiology
    Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Biogeosciences Discuss., 9, 19199–19243, 2012 www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/9/19199/2012/ Biogeosciences doi:10.5194/bgd-9-19199-2012 Discussions BGD © Author(s) 2012. CC Attribution 3.0 License. 9, 19199–19243, 2012 This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Assessing the role of Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. dust deposition on phytoplankton Assessing the role of dust deposition on ecophysiology phytoplankton ecophysiology and V. Giovagnetti et al. succession in a low-nutrient Title Page low-chlorophyll ecosystem: a mesocosm Abstract Introduction experiment in the Mediterranean Sea Conclusions References Tables Figures V. Giovagnetti1, C. Brunet1, F. Conversano1, F. Tramontano1, I. Obernosterer2,3, C. Ridame4, and C. Guieu5,6 J I 1Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy 2Universite´ Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR 7621, LOMIC, Observatoire Oceanologique,´ J I F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France Back Close 3CNRS, UMR 7621, LOMIC, Observatoire Oceanologique,´ 66650 Banyuls/Mer, France 4Laboratoire d’Oceanographie´ et du Climat: Experimentations´ et Approches Numeriques´ Full Screen / Esc (LOCEAN), CNRS-Universite´ Paris VI, Campus Jussieu, Paris, France 5 Laboratoire d’Oceanographie´ de Villefranche/Mer, CNRS-INSU, UMR7093, Observatoire Printer-friendly Version Oceanologique,´ 06230, Villefranche/Mer, France 6 Universite´ Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR 7093, LOV, Observatoire Oceanologique,´ Interactive Discussion 06230, Villefranche/Mer, France 19199 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Received: 30 November 2012 – Accepted: 5 December 2012 – Published: 21 December 2012 Correspondence to: C. Brunet ([email protected]) BGD Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Tool Development in Marine Protists: Emerging Model Organisms for Experimental Cell Biology
    RESOURCE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-020-0796-x Genetic tool development in marine protists: emerging model organisms for experimental cell biology Diverse microbial ecosystems underpin life in the sea. Among these microbes are many unicellular eukaryotes that span the diversity of the eukaryotic tree of life. However, genetic tractability has been limited to a few species, which do not represent eukaryotic diversity or environmentally relevant taxa. Here, we report on the development of genetic tools in a range of pro- tists primarily from marine environments. We present evidence for foreign DNA delivery and expression in 13 species never before transformed and for advancement of tools for eight other species, as well as potential reasons for why transformation of yet another 17 species tested was not achieved. Our resource in genetic manipulation will provide insights into the ancestral eukaryotic lifeforms, general eukaryote cell biology, protein diversification and the evolution of cellular pathways. he ocean represents the largest continuous planetary ecosys- Results tem, hosting an enormous variety of organisms, which include Overview of taxa in the EMS initiative. Taxa were selected from Tmicroscopic biota such as unicellular eukaryotes (protists). multiple eukaryotic supergroups1,7 to maximize the potential of cel- Despite their small size, protists play key roles in marine biogeo- lular biology and to evaluate the numerous unigenes with unknown chemical cycles and harbor tremendous evolutionary diversity1,2. functions found in marine protists (Fig. 1). Before the EMS initia- Notwithstanding their significance for understanding the evolution tive, reproducible transformation of marine protists was limited to of life on Earth and their role in marine food webs, as well as driv- only a few species such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum ing biogeochemical cycles to maintain habitability, little is known tricornutum and Ostreococcus tauri (Supplementary Table 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Factors Controlling the Community Structure of Picoplankton in Contrasting Marine Environments
    Biogeosciences, 15, 6199–6220, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6199-2018 © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments Jose Luis Otero-Ferrer1, Pedro Cermeño2, Antonio Bode6, Bieito Fernández-Castro1,3, Josep M. Gasol2,5, Xosé Anxelu G. Morán4, Emilio Marañon1, Victor Moreira-Coello1, Marta M. Varela6, Marina Villamaña1, and Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido1 1Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain 2Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona, Spain 3Departamento de Oceanografía, Instituto de investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), Vigo, Spain 4King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Read Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia 5Centre for Marine Ecosystem Research, School of Sciences, Edith Cowan University, WA, Perth, Australia 6Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), A Coruña, Spain Correspondence: Jose Luis Otero-Ferrer ([email protected]) Received: 27 April 2018 – Discussion started: 4 June 2018 Revised: 4 October 2018 – Accepted: 10 October 2018 – Published: 26 October 2018 Abstract. The effect of inorganic nutrients on planktonic as- played a significant role. Nitrate supply was the only fac- semblages has traditionally relied on concentrations rather tor that allowed the distinction among the ecological
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamics and Functional Diversity of the Smallest
    Dynamics and functional diversity of the smallest phytoplankton on the Northeast US Shelf Bethany L. Fowlera,1 , Michael G. Neuberta,b , Kristen R. Hunter-Ceverac , Robert J. Olsona, Alexi Shalapyonoka, Andrew R. Solowb , and Heidi M. Sosika,1 aBiology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543; bMarine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543; and cJosephine Bay Paul Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543 Edited by Tom M. Fenchel, University of Copenhagen, Helsingor, Denmark, and approved April 9, 2020 (received for review October 22, 2019) Picophytoplankton are the most abundant primary producers We adapted the model described in Hunter-Cevera et al. in the ocean. Knowledge of their community dynamics is key (6) in order to apply it to the assemblage of small eukary- to understanding their role in marine food webs and global otes present at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory biogeochemical cycles. To this end, we analyzed a 16-y time (MVCO; 41◦ 19.5000 N, 70◦ 34.00 W). These eukaryotes can series of observations of a phytoplankton community at a be identified with flow cytometry based on their individual nearshore site on the Northeast US Shelf. We used a size- cell traits, including pigmentation and size. Traditionally, only structured population model to estimate in situ division rates cells with diameters less than 2 µm are considered picoplank- for the picoeukaryote assemblage and compared the dynamics ton. Imposing this arbitrary threshold on our data, however, with those of the picocyanobacteria Synechococcus at the same would exclude the tail of the observed size distribution at times location.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecotype Diversity in the Marine Picoeukaryote Ostreococcus (Chlorophyta, Prasinophyceae)
    Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKEMIEnvironmental Microbiology 1462-2912Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 200476853859Original ArticleEcotype diversity in the picoeukaryote OstreococusF. Rodríguez et al. Environmental Microbiology (2005) 7(6), 853–859 doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00758.x Ecotype diversity in the marine picoeukaryote Ostreococcus (Chlorophyta, Prasinophyceae) Francisco Rodríguez,1 Evelyne Derelle,2 significant role in biogeochemical processes, primary Laure Guillou,1 Florence Le Gall,1 Daniel Vaulot1 and productivity and food webs especially in oligotrophic Hervé Moreau2* areas, where it accounts typically for up to 80% of the 1Station Biologique, UMR 7127 CNRS/INSU/UPMC, BP autotrophic biomass (Campbell et al., 1994; Li, 1994; 74, 29682 Roscoff, France. Rocap et al., 2002). Over the past two decades, a large 2Laboratoire Arago, UMR 7628 CNRS/UPMC, BP44, body of knowledge has accumulated on the diversity and 66651, Banyuls-sur-mer, France. ecophysiology of the cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus (Partensky et al., 1999; Rocap et al., 2003). In particular, part of its global success has been attributed to the exist- Summary ence of distinct low- and high-light ecotypes, occupying The importance of the cyanobacteria Prochlorococ- different niches and exploiting different resources (Rocap cus and Synechococcus in marine ecosystems in et al., 2003). terms of abundance and primary production can be Picoeukaryotic cells have been initially detected by their partially explained by ecotypic differentiation. Despite characteristic flow cytometry and pigment signatures over the dominance of eukaryotes within photosynthetic large geographical and vertical scales (Andersen et al., picoplankton in many areas a similar differentiation 1996). However, the genetic and physiological traits that has never been evidenced for these organisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Analysis of Photosynthetic Picoeukaryote Community Structure Along an Extended Ellett Line Transect in the Northern North Atlant
    Deep-Sea Research I 58 (2011) 733–744 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Deep-Sea Research I journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dsri Analysis of photosynthetic picoeukaryote community structure along an extended Ellett Line transect in the northern North Atlantic reveals a dominance of novel prymnesiophyte and prasinophyte phylotypes Amy R. Kirkham a,1, Ludwig E. Jardillier a,b, Ross Holland c, Mikhail V. Zubkov c, Dave J. Scanlan a,n a School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK b Unite´ d’Ecologie, Syste´matique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8079, Univ. Paris-Sud, France c National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, UK article info abstract Article history: Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs) of a size o3 mm can contribute significantly to primary Received 6 December 2010 production. Here, PPE community structure was analysed along an extended Ellett Line transect, an Received in revised form area in the North Atlantic well studied by physical oceanographers but largely neglected in the field of 3 May 2011 microalgal ecology. Distribution patterns of specific PPE classes were determined using dot-blot Accepted 10 May 2011 hybridization analysis, while the taxonomic composition of specific PPE classes was revealed by Available online 20 May 2011 phylogenetic analysis of plastid 16S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we performed fluorescent Keywords: in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of seawater samples collected along the transect to provide a Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes PCR-independent survey of class level PPE distribution patterns. We found the PPE community was Community structure dominated by members of the Prymnesiophyceae, Prasinophyceae and Mamiellophyceae.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Primary Producers
    Marine Primary Producers Macroalage & Phytoplankton Photo: C. Schvarcz (Steward Lab, UH Manoa) OCN 201 Biology Lecture 4 http://video.conncoll.edu/f/pasiv/lucid/Cyanophora-900.html Thursday, November 13, 2014 Primary production • The production of organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide, principally through the process of photosynthesis (or chemosynthesis) • Carried out by autotrophs • On land primary producers are mostly macroscopic • In the sea nearly all primary production is due to microscopic phytoplankton Thursday, November 13, 2014 Terrestrial Primary Producers Large Marine Primary Producers Macroalgae & Seagrasses Thursday, November 13, 2014 Kelp Forest Locations Macroalgae mostly limited to coastal areas Exception: Sargassum, a planktonic macroalga Thursday, November 13, 2014 BUT: most life in the sea is microscopic including the primary producers and consumers Picoeukaryote Bacterium Large Flagellate Diatom Thursday, November 13, 2014 How many phytoplankton in a liter of seawater? Bigger Diatoms 1,000 Dinoflagellates 10,000 Coccolithophores 20,000 Nanoflagellates 1,000,000 Smaller Cyanobacteria 100,000,000 very rough numbers; they vary a lot! Thursday, November 13, 2014 Prokaryotic Phytoplankton (Cyanobacteria) • Prochlorococcus • Synechococcus (and others) Responsible for a lot of the primary productivity in the open ocean Thursday, November 13, 2014 Eukaryotic Phytoplankton have Plastids that originated as symbiotic cyanobacteria Thursday, November 13, 2014 Some Eukaryotes Steal Plastids from Others This
    [Show full text]
  • Sizespectrum Based Differential Response of Phytoplankton To
    bs_bs_banner Phycological Research 2014 Size-spectrum based differential response of phytoplankton to nutrient and iron-organic matter combinations in microcosm experiments in a Chilean Patagonian Fjord Jose L. Iriarte,1,2* Murat V. Ardelan,3 Luis Antonio Cuevas,4 Humberto E. González,5,2 Nicolas Sanchez3 and Sverne M. Myklestad6 1Instituto de Acuicultura and Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia-CIEP, Universidad Austral de Chile, Puerto Montt, 2COPAS Sur-Austral, 4Centro de Ciencias Ambientales EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, 5Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas and Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia-CIEP, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile, Departments of 3Chemistry and 6Biotechnology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway teria through the interaction with organic ligands SUMMARY released by bacteria that eventually could increase solubility of the Fe dissolved fraction thus having The Patagonian fjords have been recognized as a major a positive effect on the small-sized phytoplankton region of relatively high primary productivity systems community. during spring–summer bloom periods, where iron- organic matter forms may be essential complexes Key words: Iron-dissolved organic matter, micro- involved in key growth processes connected to the phytoplankton, Patagonia fjord, polysaccharide, carbon and nitrogen cycles. We used two dissolved siderophore, Synechococcus. organic matter (DOM) types, marine polysaccharide and siderophore, as a model to understand how they affect the bioavailability of Fe to phytoplankton and bacteria and to assess their ecological role in fjord systems. A 10-day microcosm study was performed in INTRODUCTION the Comau Fjord during summer conditions (March Iron as a micronutrient is an essential enzymatic 2012).
    [Show full text]