scholarly journals Taxon-specific phytoplankton growth, nutrient utilization, and light limitation in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Yingling ◽  
Thomas B. Kelly ◽  
Taylor A. Shropshire ◽  
Michael R. Landry ◽  
Karen E. Selph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Nitrate Uptake ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Ammonium Uptake ◽  
Light Limitation ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Diel Variability

ABSTRACTThe highly stratified, oligotrophic regions of the oceans are predominantly nitrogen limited in the surface ocean and light limited at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). Hence, determining light and nitrogen co-limitation patterns for diverse phytoplankton taxa is crucial to understanding marine primary production throughout the euphotic zone. During two cruises in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, we measured primary productivity (H13CO3−), nitrate uptake (15NO3−), and ammonium uptake (15NH4+) throughout the water column. Primary productivity declined with depth from the mixed-layer to the DCM, averaging 27.1 mmol C m−2 d−1. The fraction of growth supported by NO3− was consistently low, with upper euphotic zone values ranging from 0.01 to 0.14 and lower euphotic zone values ranging from 0.03 to 0.44. Nitrate uptake showed strong diel patterns (maximum during the day), while ammonium uptake exhibited no diel variability. To parameterize taxon-specific phytoplankton nutrient and light utilization, we used a data assimilation approach (Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo) including primary productivity, nutrient uptake, and taxon-specific growth rate measurements. Parameters derived from this analysis define distinct niches for five phytoplankton taxa (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and prymnesiophytes) and may be useful for constraining biogeochemical models of oligotrophic open-ocean systems.

scholarly journals Short‐term variability in euphotic zone biogeochemistry and primary productivity at Station ALOHA: A case study of summer 2012

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1145-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel T. Wilson ◽  
Benedetto Barone ◽  
Francois Ascani ◽  
Robert R. Bidigare ◽  
Matthew J. Church ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Station Aloha ◽  
Short Term Variability

scholarly journals Metabolite composition of sinking particles reflects a changing microbial community and differential metabolite degradation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winifred M. Johnson ◽  
Krista Longnecker ◽  
Melissa C. Kido Soule ◽  
William A. Arnold ◽  
Maya P. Bhatia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Suspended Particles ◽  
Equatorial Atlantic ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Sinking Particles ◽  
Compositional Changes ◽  
Amazon River Plume ◽  
Small Biomolecules

AbstractMarine sinking particles transport carbon from the surface and bury it in deep sea sediments where it can be sequestered on geologic time scales. The combination of the surface ocean food web that produces these particles and the particle-associated microbial community that degrades these particles, creates a complex set of variables that control organic matter cycling. We use targeted metabolomics to characterize a suite of small biomolecules, or metabolites, in sinking particles and compare their metabolite composition to that of the suspended particles in the euphotic zone from which they are likely derived. These samples were collected in the South Atlantic subtropical gyre, as well as in the equatorial Atlantic region and the Amazon River plume. The composition of targeted metabolites in the sinking particles was relatively similar throughout the transect, despite the distinct oceanic regions in which they were generated. Metabolites possibly derived from the degradation of nucleic acids and lipids, such as xanthine and glycine betaine, were an increased mole fraction of the targeted metabolites in the sinking particles relative to surface suspended particles, while algal-derived metabolites like the osmolyte dimethylsulfoniopropionate were a smaller fraction of the observed metabolites on the sinking particles. These compositional changes are shaped both by the removal of metabolites associated with detritus delivered from the surface ocean and by production of metabolites by the sinking particle-associated microbial communities. Further, they provide a basis for examining the types and quantities of metabolites that may be delivered to the deep sea by sinking particles.

Mesozooplankton biomass, grazing and trophic structure in the bluefin tuna spawning area of the oceanic Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R Landry ◽  
Rasmus Swalethorp
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Larval Habitat ◽  
Suspension Feeding ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Mesozooplankton Biomass ◽  
Coastal Margin

Abstract We investigated size-fractioned biomass, isotopes and grazing of mesozooplankton communities in the larval habitat of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico (GoM) during the peak spawning month of May. Euphotic-zone biomass ranged from 101 to 513 mg C m−2 during the day and 216 to 798 mg C m−2 at night. Grazing varied from 0.1 to 1.0 mg Chla m−2 d−1, averaging 1–3% of phytoplankton Chla consumed d−1. Carnivorous taxa dominated the biomass of > 1-mm zooplankton (78% day; 60% night), while only 13% of smaller zooplankton were carnivores. δ15N enrichment between small and large sizes indicates a 0.5–0.6 trophic-step difference. Although characteristics of GoM zooplankton are generally similar to those of remote oligotrophic subtropical regions, zooplankton stocks in the ABT larval habitat are disproportionately high relative to primary production, compared with HOT and BATS averages. Growth-grazing balances for phytoplankton were resolved with a statistically insignificant residual, and trophic fluxes from local productivity were sufficient to satisfy C demand of suspension feeding mesozooplankton. While carnivore C demand was met by local processes in the central GoM, experiments closer to the coastal margin suggest the need for a lateral subsidy of zooplankton biomass to the oceanic region.

scholarly journals Seasonal patterns in phytoplankton biomass across the northern and deep Gulf of Mexico: a numerical model study

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3561-3576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian A. Gomez ◽  
Sang-Ki Lee ◽  
Yanyun Liu ◽  
Frank J. Hernandez Jr. ◽  
Frank E. Muller-Karger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. Biogeochemical models that simulate realistic lower-trophic-level dynamics, including the representation of main phytoplankton and zooplankton functional groups, are valuable tools for improving our understanding of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in marine ecosystems. Previous three-dimensional biogeochemical modeling studies in the northern and deep Gulf of Mexico (GoM) have used only one phytoplankton and one zooplankton type. To advance our modeling capability of the GoM ecosystem and to investigate the dominant spatial and seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass, we configured a 13-component biogeochemical model that explicitly represents nanophytoplankton, diatoms, micro-, and mesozooplankton. Our model outputs compare reasonably well with observed patterns in chlorophyll, primary production, and nutrients over the Louisiana–Texas shelf and deep GoM region. Our model suggests silica limitation of diatom growth in the deep GoM during winter and near the Mississippi delta during spring. Model nanophytoplankton growth is weakly nutrient limited in the Mississippi delta year-round and strongly nutrient limited in the deep GoM during summer. Our examination of primary production and net phytoplankton growth from the model indicates that the biomass losses, mainly due to zooplankton grazing, play an important role in modulating the simulated seasonal biomass patterns of nanophytoplankton and diatoms. Our analysis further shows that the dominant physical process influencing the local rate of change of model phytoplankton is horizontal advection in the northern shelf and vertical mixing in the deep GoM. This study highlights the need for an integrated analysis of biologically and physically driven biomass fluxes to better understand phytoplankton biomass phenologies in the GoM.

scholarly journals Nitrate supply and uptake in the Atlantic Arctic sea ice zone: seasonal cycle, mechanisms and drivers

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2181) ◽  
pp. 20190361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sian F. Henley ◽  
Marie Porter ◽  
Laura Hobbs ◽  
Judith Braun ◽  
Robin Guillaume-Castel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Nitrate Uptake ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Nitrate Supply

Nutrient supply to the surface ocean is a key factor regulating primary production in the Arctic Ocean under current conditions and with ongoing warming and sea ice losses. Here we present seasonal nitrate concentration and hydrographic data from two oceanographic moorings on the northern Barents shelf between autumn 2017 and summer 2018. The eastern mooring was sea ice-covered to varying degrees during autumn, winter and spring, and was characterized by more Arctic-like oceanographic conditions, while the western mooring was ice-free year-round and showed a greater influence of Atlantic water masses. The seasonal cycle in nitrate dynamics was similar under ice-influenced and ice-free conditions, with biological nitrate uptake beginning near-synchronously in early May, but important differences between the moorings were observed. Nitrate supply to the surface ocean preceding and during the period of rapid drawdown was greater at the ice-free more Atlantic-like western mooring, and nitrate drawdown occurred more slowly over a longer period of time. This suggests that with ongoing sea ice losses and Atlantification, the expected shift from more Arctic-like ice-influenced conditions to more Atlantic-like ice-free conditions is likely to increase nutrient availability and the duration of seasonal drawdown in this Arctic shelf region. The extent to which this increased nutrient availability and longer drawdown periods will lead to increases in total nitrate uptake, and support the projected increases in primary production, will depend on changes in upper ocean stratification and their effect on light availability to phytoplankton as changes in climate and the physical environment proceed. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning'.

Stimulation of Nitrate Uptake and Photosynthesis by Molybdenum in Castle Lake, California

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 707-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Axler ◽  
R. M. Gersberg ◽  
C. R. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Uptake ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Uptake Rates ◽  
Early Portion ◽  
Rate Of Photosynthesis ◽  
Castle Lake ◽  
Stimulation Of

The uptake rates of 15NO3 and 14CO2 by the natural phytoplankton community at Castle Lake, California, were measured in situ as responses to 5 μg∙L−1 additions of molybdenum. Stimulation of both nitrate uptake and photosynthesis occurred in water samples containing only relatively high amounts of nitrate. This response to added molybdenum disappeared as the growing season progressed and nitrate was depleted in the euphotic zone. Although molybdenum stimulated nitrate uptake by 55% in water collected from the lower euphotic zone, it did not increase the rate of CO2 uptake because at that depth the rate of photosynthesis was most limited by light intensity and not by nitrogen. An analysis of molybdenum bioassays from 1959 to 1963 is integrated with these findings and points to the importance of molybdenum for phytoplankton growth during the early portion of the growing season when nitrate concentrations in the euphotic zone are maximal.Key words: molybdenum, nitrate, nitrate uptake, micronutrient bioassays

Impacts of Oyster Reef Restoration on Primary Productivity and Nutrient Dynamics in Tidal Creeks of the North Central Gulf of Mexico

2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1355-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Plutchak ◽  
Kelly Major ◽  
Just Cebrian ◽  
C. Drew Foster ◽  
Mary-Elizabeth C. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Oyster Reef ◽  
Tidal Creeks ◽  
North Central ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
The North
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