scholarly journals Biocalcification by Emiliania huxleyi in batch culture experiments

2008 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. de Bodt ◽  
J. Harlay ◽  
L. Chou

AbstractCoccolithophores, among which Emiliania huxleyi is the most abundant and widespread species, are considered the most productive calcifying organism on earth. The export of organic carbon and calcification are the main drivers of the biological CO2 pump and are expected to change with oceanic acidification. Coccolithophores are further known to produce transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) that promote particle aggregation. As a result, the TEP and biogenic calcium carbonate (CaCO3) contribute to the export of carbon from the surface ocean to deep waters. In this context, we followed the development and the decline of E. huxleyi using batch experiments with monospecific cultures. We studied the link between different processes such as photosynthesis, calcification and the production of TEP. The onset of calcification was delayed in relation to photosynthesis. The timing and the general feature of the dynamics of calcification were closely related to the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcite, Ωcal. The production of TEP was enhanced after the decline of phytoplankton growth. After nutrient exhaustion, particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration increased linearly with increasing TEP concentration, suggesting that TEP contributes to the POC increase. The production of CaCO3 is also strongly correlated with that of TEP, suggesting that calcification may be considered as a source of TEP precursors.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Pickup ◽  
Toby Tyrrell

Abstract. Understanding of controls on the spatial distributions of chemical elements in the surface ocean has improved over time. Macronutrients were understood first, followed by dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity. Utilising data collected in the Atlantic by the ongoing GEOTRACES programme, controls can now start to be investigated for other elements. Here we investigate the generality of the rule that, in surface waters, higher concentrations occur at higher latitudes. Our analyses of Atlantic GEOTRACES data show that, after salinity normalisation, all biologically utilised elements except iron follow this rule (ρ ≥ 0.45). Most elements (nitrate, phosphate, cadmium, barium, and nickel) are even more strongly correlated (ρ > 0.6) with latitude. We attribute this pattern to upwelling and/or entrainment of deep water at high latitudes. Although only Atlantic data was analysed here, we predict that this rule will be found to hold true for all oceans in which surface and deep waters exchange more readily at high latitudes. The rule does not hold in the central western Arctic Ocean, where a year-round strong halocline prevents exchange of surface and deep waters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haroon Shahzad ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal ◽  
Noman Latif ◽  
Muhammad Arshad Khan ◽  
Qudrat Ullah Khan

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1199-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Borchard ◽  
A. Engel

Abstract. Emiliania huxleyi (strain B 92/11) was exposed to different growth, CO2 and temperature conditions in phosphorous controlled chemostats, to investigate effects on organic carbon exudation, and partitioning between the pools of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). 14C incubation measurements for primary production (PP) and for extracellular release (ER) were performed. Chemical analysis included amount and composition of high molecular weight dissolved combined carbohydrates (>1 kDa, HMW-dCCHO), particulate combined carbohydrates (pCCHO) and the carbon content of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP-C). Applied CO2 and temperature conditions were 300, 550 and 900 μatm pCO2 at 14 °C, and additionally 900 μatm pCO2 at 18 °C simulating a greenhouse ocean scenario. A reduction in growth rate from μ =0.3 d−1 to μ =0.1 d−1 induced the most profound effect on the performance of E. huxleyi, relative to the effect of elevated CO2 and temperature. At μ =0.3 d−1, PP was significantly higher at elevated CO2 and temperature. DO14C production correlated to PO14C production in all cultures, resulting in similar percentages of extracellular release (DO14C/PP × 100; PER) of averaged 3.74 ± 0.94%. At μ =0.1 d−1, PO14C decreased significantly, while exudation of DO14C increased, thus leading to a stronger partitioning from the particulate to the dissolved pool. Maximum PER of 16.3 ± 2.3% were observed at μ =0.1 d−1 at greenhouse conditions. Concentrations of HMW-dCCHO and pCCHO were generally higher at μ =0.1 d−1 compared to μ =0.3 d−1. At μ =0.3 d−1, pCCHO concentration increased significantly along with elevated CO2 and temperature. Despite of high PER, the percentage of HMW-dCCHO was smallest at greenhouse conditions. However, highest TEP-formation was observed under greenhouse conditions, together with a pronounced increase in pCCHO concentration, suggesting a stronger partitioning of PP from DOC to POC by coagulation of exudates. Our results imply that greenhouse condition will enhance exudation processes in E. huxleyi and may affect organic carbon partitioning in the ocean due to an enhanced transfer of HMW-dCCHO to TEP by aggregation processes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 4531-4561 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Young ◽  
A. J. Poulton ◽  
T. Tyrrell

Abstract. Within the context of the UK Ocean Acidification project, Emiliania huxleyi (type A) coccolith morphology was examined from samples collected during cruise D366. In particular, a morphometric study of coccolith size and degree of calcification was made on scanning electron microscope images of samples from shipboard CO2 perturbation experiments and from a set of environmental samples with significant variation in calcite saturation state (Ωcalcite). One bioassay in particular (E4 from the southern North Sea) yielded unambiguous results – in this bioassay exponential growth from a low level occurred with no artificial stimulation and coccosphere numbers increased ten-fold during the experiment. The samples with elevated CO2 saw significantly reduced coccolithophore growth. However, coccolithophore morphology was not significantly affected by the changing CO2 conditions even under the highest levels of perturbation (1000 μatm). Environmental samples similarly showed no correlation of coccolithophore morphology with calcite saturation state. Some variation in coccolith size and degree of calcification does occur but this seems to be predominantly due to genotypic differentiation between populations on the shelf and in the open ocean.


1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-199
Author(s):  
M. Hooghiemstra-Tielbeek ◽  
M.G. Keizer ◽  
F.A.M. de Haan

In batch, column and lysimeter experiments the addition of HCl or FeCl3 to a soil heavily polluted with lead markedly reduced the soil pH and resulted in the dissolution of lead. The amount of lead dissolved from the soil was strongly correlated with the pH of the system: at pH 2.5, 45-65% of the total lead in the soil was extracted in batch experiments. In the lysimeter experiment 77% and 66% of the total lead was displaced from the 0-10 cm soil layer by HCl and FeCl3, respectively. The displaced lead was fixed in the 10-30 cm soil layer. No lead was detected in the effluent. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (51) ◽  
pp. e2102629118
Author(s):  
Maodian Liu ◽  
Wenjie Xiao ◽  
Qianru Zhang ◽  
Shengliu Yuan ◽  
Peter A. Raymond ◽  
...  

Anthropogenic activities have led to widespread contamination with mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxin that bioaccumulates through food webs. Recent models estimated that, presently, 200 to 600 t of Hg is sequestered annually in deep-sea sediments, approximately doubling since industrialization. However, most studies did not extend to the hadal zone (6,000- to 11,000-m depth), the deepest ocean realm. Here, we report on measurements of Hg and related parameters in sediment cores from four trench regions (1,560 to 10,840 m), showing that the world’s deepest ocean realm is accumulating Hg at remarkably high rates (depth-integrated minimum–maximum: 24 to 220 μg ⋅ m−2 ⋅ y−1) greater than the global deep-sea average by a factor of up to 400, with most Hg in these trenches being derived from the surface ocean. Furthermore, vertical profiles of Hg concentrations in trench cores show notable increasing trends from pre-1900 [average 51 ± 14 (1σ) ng ⋅ g−1] to post-1950 (81 ± 32 ng ⋅ g−1). This increase cannot be explained by changes in the delivery rate of organic carbon alone but also need increasing Hg delivery from anthropogenic sources. This evidence, along with recent findings on the high abundance of methylmercury in hadal biota [R. Sun et al., Nat. Commun. 11, 3389 (2020); J. D. Blum et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 117, 29292–29298 (2020)], leads us to propose that hadal trenches are a large marine sink for Hg and may play an important role in the regulation of the global biogeochemical cycle of Hg.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2857-2869 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. S. Meier ◽  
L. Beaufort ◽  
S. Heussner ◽  
P. Ziveri

Abstract. Ocean acidification is a result of the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean and has been identified as a major environmental and economic threat. The release of several thousands of petagrams of carbon over a few hundred years will have an overwhelming effect on surface ocean carbon reservoirs. The recorded and anticipated changes in seawater carbonate chemistry will presumably affect global oceanic carbonate production. Coccolithophores as the primary calcifying phytoplankton group, and especially Emiliania huxleyi as the most abundant species have shown a reduction of calcification at increased CO2 concentrations for the majority of strains tested in culture experiments. A reduction of calcification is associated with a decrease in coccolith weight. However, the effect in monoclonal cultures is relatively small compared to the strong variability displayed in natural E. huxleyi communities, as these are a mix of genetically and sometimes morphologically distinct types. Average coccolith weight is likely influenced by the variability in seawater carbonate chemistry in different parts of the world's oceans and on glacial/interglacial time scales due to both physiological effects and morphotype selectivity. An effect of the ongoing ocean acidification on E. huxleyi calcification has so far not been documented in situ. Here, we analyze E. huxleyi coccolith weight from the NW Mediterranean Sea in a 12-year sediment trap series, and surface sediment and sediment core samples using an automated recognition and analyzing software. Our findings clearly show (1) a continuous decrease in the average coccolith weight of E. huxleyi from 1993 to 2005, reaching levels below pre-industrial (Holocene) and industrial (20th century) values recorded in the sedimentary record and (2) seasonal variability in coccolith weight that is linked to the coccolithophore productivity. The observed long-term decrease in coccolith weight is most likely a result of the changes in the surface ocean carbonate system. Our results provide the first indications of an in situ impact of ocean acidification on coccolithophore weight in a natural E. huxleyi population, even in the highly alkaline Mediterranean Sea.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 2333-2353 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vichi ◽  
S. Masina

Abstract. Global Ocean Biogeochemistry General Circulation Models are useful tools to study biogeochemical processes at global and large scales under current climate and future scenario conditions. The credibility of future estimates is however dependent on the model skill in capturing the observed multi-annual variability of firstly the mean bulk biogeochemical properties, and secondly the rates at which organic matter is processed within the food web. For this double purpose, the results of a multi-annual simulation of the global ocean biogeochemical model PELAGOS have been objectively compared with multi-variate observations from the last 20 years of the 20th century, both considering bulk variables and carbon production/consumption rates. Simulated net primary production (NPP) is comparable with satellite-derived estimates at the global scale and when compared with an independent data-set of in situ observations in the equatorial Pacific. The usage of objective skill indicators allowed us to demonstrate the importance of comparing like with like when considering carbon transformation processes. NPP scores improve substantially when in situ data are compared with modeled NPP which takes into account the excretion of freshly-produced dissolved organic carbon (DOC). It is thus recommended that DOC measurements be performed during in situ NPP measurements to quantify the actual production of organic carbon in the surface ocean. The chlorophyll bias in the Southern Ocean that affects this model as well as several others is linked to the inadequate representation of the mixed layer seasonal cycle in the region. A sensitivity experiment confirms that the artificial increase of mixed layer depths towards the observed values substantially reduces the bias. Our assessment results qualify the model for studies of carbon transformation in the surface ocean and metabolic balances. Within the limits of the model assumption and known biases, PELAGOS indicates a net heterotrophic balance especially in the more oligotrophic regions of the Atlantic during the boreal winter period. However, at the annual time scale and over the global ocean, the model suggests that the surface ocean is close to a weakly positive autotrophic balance in accordance with recent experimental findings and geochemical considerations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Koukouraki ◽  
E. Diamadopoulos

Chlorination batch experiments were conducted in order to estimate the concentration of THM and their formation potential in nitrified and partially nitrified secondary effluent. The role of contact time (up to 2 hours), chlorine dose (3 levels), pH and temperature on the formation of THM was evaluated. THM formation, as measured by individual concentration as well as formation potential, was high for the nitrified secondary effluent, while for the partially nitrified effluent the respective concentrations were low, due to the reaction of chlorine with ammonia to form chloramines. In general, THM concentrations progressively increased as contact time, pH and chlorine dose increased. Increase in temperature (from 15-25°C) showed a rather limited effect. In addition, coagulation tests were applied prior to chlorination of the nitrified effluent for removing organic carbon and thereby controlling the formation of THM. Alum was used as the coagulant in doses varying from 0.1 mM to 2.5 mM. As the coagulant dose increased, the removal of both DOC and absorbance at 254 nm increased, while THM formation decreased. The reduction in THM formation was more pronounced for coagulant doses higher than 1.5 mM.


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