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Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates were measured in repeated profiles of dilution experiments incubated in situ on a drift array in order to assess microbial production and food web characteristics in the oligotrophic bluefin tuna spawning habitat of the Gulf of Mexico (May peak spawning seasons, 2017–2018). Grazing often exceeded growth with the processes more balanced overall in the surface mixed layer, but biomass accumulated in the mid-euphotic zone. Community production estimates (260–500 mg C m−2 day−1) were low compared to similar open-ocean studies in the Pacific Ocean. Prochlorococcus was a consistent major contributor (113–204 mg C m−2 day−1) to productivity, while diatoms and dinoflagellates (2–10 and 4–13 mg C m−2 day−1, respectively) were consistently low. Prymnesiophytes, the most dynamic component (34–134 mg C m−2 day−1), co-dominated in 2017 experiments. Unexpected imbalances in grazing relative to production were observed for all picoplankton populations (Prochlorococcus , Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria), suggesting a trophic cascade in the absence of mesozooplankton predation on large microzooplankton. Study sites with abundant larval tuna had the shallowest deep chlorophyll maxima and significant net positive phytoplankton growth below the mixed layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass and composition of the phytoplankton community were investigated in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico (GoM) at the edges of Loop Current anticyclonic eddies during May 2017 and May 2018. Using flow cytometry, high-performance liquid chromatography pigments and microscopy, we found euphotic zone integrated chlorophyll a of ~10 mg m−2 and autotrophic carbon ranging from 463 to 1268 mg m−2, dominated by picoplankton (<2 μm cells). Phytoplankton assemblages were similar to the mean composition at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site, but differed from the Hawaii Ocean Times-series site. GoM phytoplankton biomass was ~2-fold higher at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) relative to the mixed layer (ML). Prochlorococcus and prymnesiophytes were the dominant taxa throughout the euphotic zone; however, other eukaryotic taxa had significant biomass in the DCM. Shallower DCMs were correlated with more prymnesiophytes and prasinophytes (Type 3) and reduced Prochlorococcus. These trends in ML and DCM taxonomic composition likely reflect relative nutrient supply—with ML populations relying on remineralized ammonium as a nitrogen source, and the taxonomically diverse DCM populations using more nitrate. These spatially separated phytoplankton communities represent different pathways for primary production, with a dominance of picoplankton in the ML and more nano- and microplankton at the DCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated temperature sensitivities of picophytoplankton growth along a natural 10°C (18–28°C) temperature gradient in the eastern Indian Ocean characterized by deep mixing and consistently low dissolved nitrogen. Population biomass (B), cell carbon, and chlorophyll were measured by flow cytometry. Instantaneous growth (μ) and production (P) were calculated from dilution incubations at four light levels. Contrary to most empirical and theoretical predictions, Prochlorococcus, the biomass dominant, showed insignificant temperature sensitivity, with nominal Q10 values of 1.06 and 1.18 for P : B and μ, respectively, and activation energies (Ea) of 0.05 and 0.12 eV. Q10 and Ea values for Synechococcus (1.36–1.42 and 0.23–0.27 eV) were also below prediction, and picoeukaryotes showed high variability, including negative rates suggesting lytic cycles, at high temperature. We emphasize the importance of using adapted communities in natural environmental gradients to test climate predictions and hypothesize that mortality defenses are a significant selection criterion in balanced oligotrophic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many sponges host abundant and active microbial communities that may play a role in the uptake of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by the sponge holobiont, although the mechanism of DOM uptake and metabolism is uncertain. Bulk and compound-specific isotopic analysis of whole sponge, isolated sponge cells, and isolated symbiotic microbial cells of the shallow water tropical Pacific sponge Mycale grandis were used to elucidate the trophic relationships between the host sponge and its associated microbial community. δ15N and δ13C values of amino acids in M. grandis isolated sponge cells are not different from those of its bacterial symbionts. Consequently, there is no difference in trophic position of the sponge and its symbiotic microbes indicating that M. grandis sponge cell isolates do not display amino acid isotopic characteristics typical of metazoan feeding. Furthermore, both the isolated microbial and sponge cell fractions were characterized by a similarly high ΣV value—a measure of bacterial-re-synthesis of organic matter calculated from the sum of variance among individual δ15N values of trophic amino acids. These high ΣV values observed in the sponge suggest that M. grandis is not reliant on translocated photosynthate from photosymbionts or feeding on water column picoplankton, but obtains nutrition through the uptake of amino acids of bacterial origin. Our results suggest that direct assimilation of bacterially synthesized amino acids from its symbionts, either in a manner similar to translocation observed in the coral holobiont or through phagotrophic feeding, is an important if not primary pathway of amino acid acquisition for M. grandis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copepod naupliar grazing estimates often appear to represent an insignificant fraction of prey community mortality, despite high naupliar abundances and weight-specific ingestion rates. To address this seeming paradox, the impact of incubation time on grazing by nauplii of the subtropical copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris on natural prey assemblages was evaluated. Measurements of prey removal during feeding experiments were taken every 6-h over a 24-h period during two experiments (E1, E2), where the initial 2–35 μm natural prey biomass differed by 3-fold, i.e., 66 μg C L − 1 (E1) vs. 198 μg C L − 1 (E2). Results showed that total prey ingestion rate estimates decreased over the course of incubation by up to 75% after 24-h, with highest ingestion rates obtained during the initial 6-h. In no predator controls, total prey biomass also decreased significantly during the 24-h incubation particularly in the smallest prey size groups despite the absence of nauplii, and positive non-significant trends were observed in prey > 10 μm in the experiment with higher initial prey abundances. Predator density effects in this experiment provided additional evidence for trophic cascades. Results of this work suggest that in communities with rapidly changing natural prey assemblages and predators with short development times, short incubations minimize bottle effects and reduce the risk of measuring grazing rates on prey communities that no longer resemble the in situ populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated phytoplankton production rates and grazing fates in the Costa Rica Dome (CRD) during summer 2010 based on dilution depth profiles analyzed by flow cytometry and pigments and mesozooplankton grazing assessed by gut fluorescence. Three community production estimates, from 14C uptake (1025±113 mg C m-2 day-1) and from dilution experiments analyzed for total Chla (990±106 mg C m-2 day-1) and flow cytometry populations (862±71 mg C m-2 day-1), exceeded regional ship-based values by 2-3-fold. Picophytoplankton accounted for 56% of community biomass and 39% of production. Production profiles extended deeper for Prochlorococcus (PRO) and picoeukaryotes than for Synechococcus (SYN) and larger eukaryotes, but 93% of total production occurred above 40 m. Microzooplankton consumed all PRO and SYN growth and two-third of total production. Positive net growth of larger eukaryotes in the upper 40 m was balanced by independently measured consumption by mesozooplankton. Among larger eukaryotes, diatoms contributed ~3% to production. On the basis of this analysis, the CRD region is characterized by high production and grazing turnover, comparable with or higher than estimates for the eastern equatorial Pacific. The region nonetheless displays characteristics atypical of high productivity, such as picophytoplankton dominance and suppressed diatom roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During summer 2010, we investigated phytoplankton production and growth rates at 19 stations in the eastern tropical Pacific, where winds and strong opposing currents generate the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), an open-ocean upwelling feature. Primary production (14C-incorporation) and group-specific growth and net growth rates (two-treatment seawater dilution method) were estimated from samples incubated in situ at eight depths. Our cruise coincided with a mild El Ninño event, and only weak upwelling was observed in the CRD. Nevertheless, the highest phytoplankton abundances were found near the dome center. However, mixed-layer growth rates were lowest in the dome center (~0.5-0.9 day-1), but higher on the edge of the dome (~0.9-1.0 day-1) and in adjacent coastal waters (0.9-1.3 day-1). We found good agreement between independent methods to estimate growth rates. Mixed-layer growth rates of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were largely balanced by mortality, whereas eukaryotic phytoplankton showed positive net growth (~0.5-0.6 day-1), that is, growth available to support larger (mesozooplankton) consumer biomass. These are the first group-specific phytoplankton rate estimates in this region, and they demonstrate that integrated primary production is high, exceeding 1 g C m-2 day-1 on average, even during a period of reduced upwelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Costa Rica Dome (CRD) represents a classic case of the bloom-forming capacity of small phytoplankton. Unlike other upwelling systems, autotrophic biomass in the CRD is dominated by picocyanobacteria and small eukaryotes that outcompete larger diatoms and reach extremely high biomass levels. We investigated responses of the subsurface phytoplankton community of the CRD to changes associated with vertical displacement of water masses, coupling in situ transplanted dilution experiments with flow cytometry and epifluorescence microscopy to assess group-specific dynamics. Growth rates of Synechococcus (SYN) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PEUK) were positively correlated with light (RpearsonSYN = 0.602 and Rpearson PEUK = 0.588, P < 0.001). Growth rates of Prochlorococcus (PRO), likely affected by photoinhibition, were not light correlated (Rpearson_PRO = 0.101, P = 0.601). Overall, grazing and growth rates were closely coupled in all picophytoplankton groups (Rspearman_PRO = 0.572, Rspearman SYN = 0.588, Rspearman PEUK = 0.624), and net growth rates remained close to zero. Conversely, the abundance and biomass of larger phytoplankton, mainly diatoms, increased more than 10-fold in shallower transplant incubations indicating that, in addition to trace-metal chemistry, light also plays a significant role in controlling microphytoplankton populations in the CRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Picophytoplankton populations [Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus (SYN), and picoeukaryotes] are dominant primary producers in the open ocean and projected to become more important with climate change. Their fates can vary, however, with microbial food web complexities. In the California Current Ecosystem, picophytoplankton biomass and abundance peak in waters of intermediate productivity and decrease at higher production. Using experimental data from eight cruises crossing the pronounced CCE trophic gradient, we tested the hypothesis that these declines are driven by intensified grazing on heterotrophic bacteria (HBAC) passed to similarly sized picophytoplankton via shared predators. Results confirm previously observed distributions as well as significant increases in bacterial abundance, cell growth, and grazing mortality with primary production. Mortalities of picophytoplankton, however, diverge from the bacterial mortality trend such that relative grazing rates on SYN compared to HBAC decline by 12-fold between low and high productivity waters. The large shifts in mortality rate ratios for coexisting populations are not explained by size variability but rather suggest high selectivity of grazer assemblages or tightly coupled tradeoffs in microbial growth advantages and grazing vulnerabilities. These findings challenge the long-held view that protistan grazing mainly determines overall biomass of microbial communities while viruses uniquely regulate diversity by "killing the winners". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 20 and 10 clades / ecotypes of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, respectively, have been identified in various oceanic regions. However, their diversity has yet to be thoroughly studied in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Further, spatial distribution of Synechococcus clades in the oligotrophic oceans has been scarcely characterized. To elucidate picocyanobacterial lineage distribution in the northwest Pacific Ocean, 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer sequences of picocyanobacteria were sequenced by barcoded amplicon pyrosequencing method. Additional pyrosequencing library using a primer specific for the Synechococcus subcluster-5.1 was constructed to thoroughly understand Synechococcus diversity in the oligotrophic oceans. In warm pool area, Prochlorococcus was predominant and showed a distinct depthpartitioning between HLII and LL ecotypes. Despite low abundances, diverse Synechococcus clades appeared in the oligotrophic open ocean, showing both vertical and horizontal niche partitioning. Clade II was the predominant Synechococcus clade, especially in upper euphotic depths. In shallow and middle euphotic depths, clades UC-A, III, and CRD1 were distributed broadly. However, a distinct shift in the horizontal distribution was found at ca. 20° N. Conversely, clades XVII and CRD2 dominated at deep euphotic depths and constituted a higher proportion than clade II. These niche-partitioning of Synechococcus clades seemed to be related with temperature, nutrient concentration as well as iron concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Drake Passage region near Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean displays patchy phytoplankton blooms. To test the hypothesis that natural Fe addition from localized sources promoted phytoplankton growth here, a grid of stations (59°S to 62°S, 59°W to 53°W, as well as four stations in the eastern Bransfield Strait) were occupied from 12 February–24 March 2004. Phytoplankton abundance was measured using shipboard flow cytometry (70 stations), with abundances conservatively converted to biomass, and compared with measurements of dissolved iron (dFe) at a subset of stations (30 stations). Based on T–S property plots, stations were divided into Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), Water On Shelf (WOS), Bransfield Strait (BS), and Mixed water stations, the latter representing locations with T–S properties intermediate between ACC and WOS stations. The highest integrated phytoplankton biomass was found at Mixed water stations, however, the highest integrated abundance was found at WOS stations, demonstrating that abundance and biomass do not necessarily show the same patterns. The distributions of nano- and micro-phytoplankton (<20 and >20μm diameter cells, respectively) were also examined, with nano- and micro-plankton contributing equally to the total biomass at WOS and BS stations, but micro-plankton representing ∼2/3 of the biomass at Mixed and ACC stations. Increased inventories of dFe did not always correspond to increases in phytoplankton biomass – rather stations with lower mean light levels in the mixed layer (<110μEinsteinsm−2 s−1) had lower biomass despite higher ambient dFe concentrations. However, where the mean light levels in the mixed layer were >110μEinsteinsm−2 s−1, total biomass shows a positive trend with dFe, as does micro-phytoplankton biomass, but neither regression is significant at the 95% level. In contrast, if just nano-phytoplankton biomass is considered as a function of dFe, there is a significant correlation (r 2=0.62). These data suggest a dual mechanism for the patterns observed in biomass: an increasing reservoir of dFe allows increased phytoplankton biomass, but biomass can only accumulate where the light levels are relatively high, such that light is not limiting to growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phytoplankton dynamics were investigated in the eastern equatorial Pacific at 32 stations sampled during two cruises (December 2004 and September 2005). Based on standing stock analyses from HPLC pigments, flow cytometry and microscopy, we used a modified 2-treatment approach of the seawater dilution method to estimate taxon-specific phytoplankton growth and mortality rates in 8-depth per station profiles. These data were complemented by contemporaneous measurements of dissolved iron (Fe). The stations encompassed an equatorial zonal gradient (110 to 140°W) of diminishing eastward Fe availability in the euphotic zone from upwelling of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). Latitudinal variation was assessed by meridional transects at 110 and 140°W. Overall, euphotic zone averaged growth rates were 0.53±0.17d−1 (total chlorophyll a), 0.34±0.15d−1 (divinyl chlorophyll a) and 0.86±0.32d−1 (fucoxanthin). Microzooplankton grazing accounted for 50-60% of daily production of eukaryotic algae, whereas essentially all growth of phototrophic prokaryotes was consumed daily. Fucoxanthin, representing diatoms, was a minor component of the accessory pigments, but diatom growth rates were both significantly higher than other taxonomically defined groups and dropped off more sharply with depth (low light level). Strikingly, no spatial or temporal trends were seen in the 256 growth rate measurements for each measured pigment. However, the diminishing eastward equatorial Fe gradient was associated with deepening subsurface pigment maxima and decreasing surface-layer pigment stocks (down to the 8% light level). In addition, integrated standing stocks of total chlorophyll a and Prochlorococcus (divinyl chlorophyll a) were strongly correlated with integrated iron at equatorial upwelling stations, yet no correlation with Fe was seen for any of the eukaryotic groups, including diatoms. This latter result is contrary to expectations from previous Fe addition experiments (in situ or in bottles), where diatom biomass increased relative to other phytoplankton. We hypothesize that the natural supply of Fe to the base of the euphotic zone from the EUC is less favorable for diatoms because of light limitation. Rather, new Fe is rapidly incorporated into a small phytoplankton-dominated community in the deep euphotic zone, and tightly coupled grazing control results in a system regulated by return of recycled Fe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigate the hypothesis that phytoplankton growth and grazing processes are strongly balanced in high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the equatorial Pacific using euphotic-zone estimates of rates and biomass determined for 30 stations during EB04 (December 2004) and EB05 (September 2005). As predicted by the balance hypothesis, depth-averaged instantaneous rates of phytoplankton growth and grazing losses to micro- and mesozooplankton show a net growth difference of zero. Contemporaneous estimates of phytoplankton biomass and specific rates from flow cytometry, microscopy and taxon-specific accessory pigments allow determination of constrained production-consumption trophic balances for the phytoplankton community as a whole and for major component populations. The magnitude of growth-based production (867mgCm−2 d−1) is consistent with measured 14C primary production, given methodological differences. 70% of production is utilized by protistan herbivores within the microbial community; 30% is consumed by mesozooplankton. Among picophytoplankton (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and small eukaryotes), representing 40% of community biomass and 27% of daily biomass growth, microzooplankton consume almost all production. Among groups of larger eukaryote taxa, including diatoms but dominated by dinoflagellate biomass, micro-grazers consume 51–62% of production, with the remainder available to mesozooplankton. Some leakage from the balance is expected as export of sinking phytoplankton cells and aggregates, but is constrained to no more than a few percent of daily production from alternate determinations of mesozooplankton grazing. The demonstrated balance of growth and grazing processes in the equatorial Pacific is inconsistent with recent claims from inverse models that a large flux associated with ungrazed picophytoplankton production dominates euphotic zone carbon export in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The evolution of dissolved iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) speciation was followed through a simulated spring bloom event in a 15-day incubation experiment of natural seawater collected during austral winter from high macronutrient high Fe waters of Bransfield Strait in the Southern Ocean. The incubation experiment included unamended bottles as well as Fe additions using the stable isotope of Fe, 57Fe, as inorganic (57FeCl3) and organic (57Fe-aerobactin, 57Fe-desferrioxamine B) amendments. Exposure to summer light conditions resulted in substantial growth for all treatments, mimicking the initiation of a spring bloom. The addition of Fe resulted in a 30% increase in phytoplankton biomass over unamended controls by day 15, indicating that the unamended waters became Fe limited despite initially elevated dissolved Fe concentrations. Dissolved Cu and Cu speciation remained largely unchanged for all treatments of the incubation, with Cu speciation dominated by exceedingly strong Cu-binding ligands (log K CuL 1,Cu 2+ cond ~16) and low resultant Cu2+ concentrations (10−16.3±0.3 mol L−1). In only the unamended light bottles, strong Fe-binding ligands were produced over the course of the experiment. The observed production of strong Fe-binding ligands in the control bottles that became Fe-limited supports the important role of biologically produced siderophore-type natural ligands in the marine Fe cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study that investigated phytoplankton dynamics in the region of 55-70 ° S, 170 ° W using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor satellite imagery, shipboard sampling and experimental rate assessments during austral spring and summer, 1997-1998. Methodology of the study; Results and discussion on the study; Conclusions.

Examines the composition and growth dynamics of microbial communities between the Antarctic Polar Front region and the seasonal ice edge at 170 degrees West in December 1997. Water-mass identities of the sampled stations based on physical properties; Seasonal succession in phytoplankton; Inverse relationship between chlorophyll values and phytoplankton growth rates.

Gelatinous filter feeders (e.g., salps, doliolids, and pyrosomes) have high filtration rates and can feed at predator:prey size ratios exceeding 10,000:1, yet are seldom included in ecosystem or climate models. We investigated foodweb and trophic dynamics in the presence and absence of salp blooms using traditional productivity and grazing measurements combined with compound-specific isotopic analysis of amino acids estimation of trophic position during Lagrangian framework experiments in the Southern Ocean. Trophic positions of salps ranging 10–132 mm in size were 2.2 ± 0.3 (mean ± std) compared to 2.6 ± 0.4 for smaller (mostly crustacean) mesozooplankton. The mostly herbivorous salp trophic position was maintained despite biomass dominance of ~10-µm-sized primary producers. We show that potential energy flux to >10-cm organisms increases by approximately an order of magnitude when salps are abundant, even without substantial alteration to primary production. Comparison to a wider dataset from other marine regions shows that alterations to herbivore communities are a better predictor of ecosystem transfer efficiency than primary-producer dynamics. These results suggest that diverse consumer communities and intraguild predation complicate climate change predictions (e.g., trophic amplification) based on linear food chains. These compensatory foodweb dynamics should be included in models that forecast marine ecosystem responses to warming and reduced nutrient supply. Food-web and isotope-based trophic analyses suggest that blooms of salps (gelatinous grazers) can increase ecosystem efficiency and energy transfer to large organisms. These compensatory food-web dynamics may offset predicted trophic amplification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2014–2015 warm anomaly (aka "the Blob"), the largest of periodic and intensifying marine heat wave (MHW) perturbations in the northeast Pacific, may provide some insight about the future warmer ocean. Here, we use mixed‐layer carbon estimates for total phytoplankton, major size classes and functional groups from 45 CalCOFI cruises to: (1) compare 2014–2015 MHW impacts in the southern California Current System to baseline estimates from 2004 to 2013 and (2) to test a space‐for‐time exchange hypothesis that links biomass structure to variability of nitracline depth (NCD). Seasonal and inshore‐offshore analyses from nine stations revealed almost uniform 2°C MHW warming extending 700 km seaward, fourfold to sixfold declines in nitrate concentration and 18‐m deeper NCDs. Phytoplankton C decreased 16–21% compared to 45–65% for Chl a, with the threefold difference due to altered C : Chl a. Among size classes, percent composition of nanoplankton decreased and picophytoplankton increased, driven by higher Prochlorococcus biomass, while Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes generally declined. Diatom and dinoflagellate C decreased in both onshore and offshore waters. Seasonally, the MHW delayed the normal winter refresh of surface nitrate, resulting in depressed stocks of total phytoplankton and nanoplankton, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes during winter. Consistent with the space‐for‐time hypothesis, biomass variations for baseline and MHW cruises followed similar (not significantly different) slope relationships to NCD. All biomass components, except Prochlorococcus, were negatively related to NCD, and community biomass structure realigned according to regression slopes differences with NCD variability. Empirically derived biomass‐NCD relationships could be useful for calibrating models that explore future food‐web impacts in this coastal upwelling system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant genus Bidens (Asteraceae or Compositae; Coreopsidae) is a species-rich and circumglobally distributed taxon. The 19 hexaploid species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands are considered an iconic example of adaptive radiation, of which many are imperiled and of high conservation concern. Until now, no genomic resources were available for this genus, which may serve as a model system for understanding the evolutionary genomics of explosive plant diversification. Here, we present a high-quality reference genome for the Hawaiʻi Island endemic species B. hawaiensis A. Gray reconstructed from long-read, high-fidelity sequences generated on a Pacific Biosciences Sequel II System. The haplotype-aware, draft genome assembly consisted of ~6.67 Giga bases (Gb), close to the holoploid genome size estimate of 7.56 Gb (±0.44 SD) determined by flow cytometry. After removal of alternate haplotigs and contaminant filtering, the consensus haploid reference genome was comprised of 15 904 contigs containing ~3.48 Gb, with a contig N50 value of 422 594. The high interspersed repeat content of the genome, approximately 74%, along with hexaploid status, contributed to assembly fragmentation. Both the haplotype-aware and consensus haploid assemblies recovered >96% of Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. Yet, the removal of alternate haplotigs did not substantially reduce the proportion of duplicated benchmarking genes (~79% vs. ~68%). This reference genome will support future work on the speciation process during adaptive radiation, including resolving evolutionary relationships, determining the genomic basis of trait evolution, and supporting ongoing conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated competition between Salpa thompsoni and protistan grazers during Lagrangian experiments near the Subtropical Front in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Over a month, the salp community shifted from dominance by large (> 100 mm) oozooids and small (< 20 mm) blastozooids to large (~ 60 mm) blastozooids. Phytoplankton biomass was consistently dominated by nano‐ and microphytoplankton (> 2 μm cells). Using bead‐calibrated flow‐cytometry light scatter to estimate phytoplankton size, we quantified size‐specific salp and protistan zooplankton grazing pressure. Salps were able to feed at a > 10,000 : 1 predator : prey size (linear‐dimension) ratio. Small blastozooids efficiently retained cells > 1.4 μm (high end of picoplankton size, 0.6–2 μm cells) and also obtained substantial nutrition from smaller bacteria‐sized cells. Larger salps could only feed efficiently on > 5.9 μm cells and were largely incapable of feeding on picoplankton. Due to the high biomass of nano‐ and microphytoplankton, however, all salps derived most of their (phytoplankton‐based) nutrition from these larger autotrophs. Phagotrophic protists were the dominant competitors for these prey items and consumed approximately 50% of the biomass of all phytoplankton size classes each day. Using a Bayesian statistical framework, we developed an allometric‐scaling equation for salp clearance rates as a function of salp and prey size: ClearanceESD=φ∙TLψ×minESDθ×TLγ20.16+ESDθ×TLγ1×Q10T−12°C/10 where ESD is prey equivalent spherical diameter (µm), TL is S. thompsoni total length, φ = 5.6 × 10−3 ± 3.6 × 10−4, ψ = 2.1 ± 0.13, θ = 0.58 ± 0.08, and γ = 0.46 ± 0.03 and clearance rate is L d‐1 salp‐1. We discuss the biogeochemical and food‐web implications of competitive interactions among salps, krill, and protozoans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salp grazing is important in shaping planktonic food-web structure. However, little is known about the size ranges of their prey in the field or how grazing impacts size structure. This study investigated the feeding habits of seven different species of salps, representing a variety of sizes and life stages across subtropical and subantarctic waters east of New Zealand. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the gut contents of 58 salps, which were then compared to water column plankton communities characterized via epifluorescence microscopy, FlowCam, and flow cytometry. While most of the gut contents resembled ambient waters, substantial differences were found amongst some co-occurring species, such as increased retention of submicron bacteria amongst smaller salps like Thalia democratica. We found that even for those salps capable of feeding on bacteria efficiently, nanoplankton and small microplankton still made up the majority of gut biomass. Larger microplankton were rarer in the guts than in the water column, potentially suggesting an upper size-threshold in addition to the lower size-threshold that has been the focus of most previous work. Salp carbon-weighted predator to prey size ratios were variable, with the majority falling between 1000:1 and 10,000:1 depending largely on the size of the salp. Taken together our results indicate that despite being able to feed on submicron particles, picoplankton make up at most 26.4% (mean = 6.4%) of salp gut carbon and are relatively unimportant to the energetics of most salps in this region compared to nanoplankton such as small dinoflagellates and diatoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Costa Rica Dome (CRD) is a unique open-ocean upwelling system, with picophytoplankton dominance of phytoplankton biomass and suppressed diatoms, yet paradoxically high export of biogenic silica. As a part of Flux and Zinc Experiments cruise in summer ( June-July 2010), we conducted shipboard incubation experiments in the CRD to examine the potential roles of Si, Zn, Fe and light as regulating factors of phytoplankton biomass and community structure. Estimates of photosynthetic quantum yields revealed an extremely stressed phytoplankton population that responded positively to additions of silicic acid, iron and zinc and higher light conditions. Size-fractioned Chl a yielded the surprising result that picophytoplankton, as well as larger phytoplankton, responded most to treatments with added silicic acid incubated at high incident light (HL + Si). The combination of Si and HL also led to increases in cell sizes of picoplankton, notably in Synechococcus. Such a response, coupled with the recent discovery of significant intracellular accumulation of Si in some picophytoplankton, suggests that small phytoplankton could play a potentially important role in Si cycling in the CRD, which may help to explain its peculiar export characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated biomass and composition of heterotrophic microbes in the Costa Rica Dome during June-July 2010 as part of a broader study of plankton trophic dynamics. Because picophytoplankton (<2 μm) are known to dominate in this unique upwelling region, we hypothesized tight biomass relationships between size-determined predator-prey pairs (i.e. picoplankton-nano-grazers, nanoplankton-micro-grazers) within the microbial community. Integrated biomass of heterotrophic bacteria ranged from 180 to 487 mg C m-2 and was significantly correlated with total autotrophic carbon. Heterotrophic protist (H-protist) biomass ranged more narrowly from 488 to 545 mg C m-2, and was comprised of 60% dinoflagellates, 30% other flagellates and 11% ciliates. Nano-sized (<20 μm) protists accounted for the majority (57%) of grazer biomass and were positively correlated with picoplankton, partially supporting our hypothesis, but nanoplankton and micro-grazers (>20 μm) were not significantly correlated. The relative constancy of H-protist biomass among locations despite clear changes in integrated autotrophic biomass, Chl a, and primary production suggests that mesozooplankton may exert a tight top-down control on micro-grazers. Biomass-specific consumption rates of phytoplankton by protistan grazers suggest an instantaneous growth rate of 0.52 day-1 for H-protists, similar to the growth rate of phytoplankton and consistent with a trophically balanced ecosystem dominated by piconanoplankton interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Costa Rica Dome (CRD) is a wind-driven feature characterized by high primary production and an unusual cyanobacterial bloom in surface waters. It is not clear whether this bloom arises from top-down or bottom-up processes. Several studies have argued that trace metal geochemistry within the CRD contributes to the composition of the phytoplankton assemblages, since cyanobacteria and eukaryotic phytoplankton have different transition metal requirements. Here, we report that total dissolved zinc (Zn) is significantly depleted relative to phosphate (P) and silicate (Si) within the upper water column of the CRD compared with other oceanic systems, and this may create conditions favorable for cyanobacteria, which have lower Zn requirements than their eukaryotic competitors. Shipboard grow-out experiments revealed that while Si was a limiting factor under our experimental conditions, additions of Si and either iron (Fe) or Zn led to higher biomass than Si additions alone. The addition of Fe and Zn alone did not lead to significant enhancements. Our results suggest that the depletion of Zn relative to P in upwelled waters may create conditions in the near-surface waters that favor phytoplankton with low Zn requirements, including cyanobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated phytoplankton dynamics in the southern California Current System (SCCS) in August 2014 during the early phase of the 2014-15 marine heat wave (MHW). Multi-day experiments were conducted at three inshore and two offshore sites, with daily depth profiles of dilution incubations on a drifting array to determine growth and grazing rates and shipboard assessments of nutrient effects. Picophytoplankton populations were analyzed by flow cytometry and eukaryotic phytoplankton by 18 S sequencing. Mixed-layer nutrients were low across the region, but inshore sites had substantial nitrate concentrations and prominent Chl a maxima in the lower euphotic zone. Shoreward transport of warm-stratified waters from the offshore suppressed coastal upwelling and shifted picophytoplankton distributions toward increased onshore abundance of Prochlorococcus and decreased Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes. These trends were reinforced by higher-than-average growth of Prochlorococcus at inshore sites and higher grazing of Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes. Prasinophytes (Chlorophyceae) were notably important among eukaryotic taxa, and pennates replaced centric taxa as the dominant diatoms in inshore waters compared to normal upwelling. Despite substantial spatial variability in community composition, offshore and inshore experimental locations both showed growth-grazing balances, with microzooplankton consuming similar percentages (80%) of primary production. We thus confirm expectations that the 2014-15 MHW resulted in greater trophic flow through the microbial food web at the expense of reduced direct phytoplankton (Chl a) consumption by mesozooplankton. However, impacts on mesozooplankton energy budgets were partially offset by increased trophic flow through protistan microzooplankton and higher phytoplankton C:Chl a. • Prochlorococcus increase linked to shoreward transport and high growth. • Synechococcus decline linked to shoreward transport and high grazing. • Prasinophytes dominated 18 S sequence abundances of small eukaryotes. • Heat wave increased trophic flow through the microbial food web. • Microzooplankton consumed 80% of primary production at on- and offshore sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of nitrogen (N) in ocean surface waters affects rates of photosynthesis and marine ecosystem structure. In spite of low dissolved inorganic N concentrations, export production in oligotrophic waters is comparable to more nutrient replete regions. Prior observations raise the possibility that di-nitrogen (N2) fixation supplies a significant fraction of N supporting export production in the Gulf of Mexico. In this study, geochemical tools were used to quantify the relative and absolute importance of both subsurface nitrate and N2 fixation as sources of new N fueling export production in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico in May 2017 and May 2018. Comparing the isotopic composition ("δ15N") of nitrate with the δ15N of sinking particulate N collected during five sediment trap deployments each lasting two to four days indicates that N2 fixation is typically not detected and that the majority (≥80%) of export production is supported by subsurface nitrate. Moreover, no gradients in upper ocean dissolved organic N and suspended particulate N concentration and/or δ15N were found that would indicate significant N2 fixation fluxes accumulated in these pools, consistent with low Trichodesmium spp. abundance. Finally, comparing the δ15N of sinking particulate N captured within vs. below the euphotic zone indicates that during late spring regenerated N is low in δ15N compared to sinking N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During two cruises in the oligotrophic oceanic Gulf of Mexico, we deployed sediment traps at three depths: center of the euphotic zone (EZ) (60 m), base of the EZ (117–151 m), and in the twilight zone (231 m). Organic carbon export declined with depth from 6.4 to 4.6 to 2.4 mmol C m−2 d−1, suggesting that net particle production was concentrated in the upper EZ. Net primary production varied from 24 to 29 mmol C m−2 d−1, slightly more than half in the upper EZ. Export ratios varied from 11 to 25%. Trap measurements of chlorophyll and phaeopigments allowed us to quantify fluxes of fresh phytoplankton and herbivorous fecal pellets, respectively, which were both minor contributors to total flux, although their contributions varied with depth. Phytoplankton flux was more important from the upper to lower EZ; fecal pellets were more important at the EZ base and below. C:N elemental ratios and 13C and 15N isotope analyses indicated particle transformations within and beneath the EZ. 234Th-238U disequilibrium measurements varied, likely reflecting the mixing of water from multiple regions over the ~month-long time-scale of 234Th. Our results highlight the complexity of the biological carbon pump in oligotrophic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used linear inverse ecosystem modeling techniques to assimilate data from extensive Lagrangian field experiments into a mass-balance constrained food web for the Gulf of Mexico open-ocean ecosystem. This region is highly oligotrophic, yet Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) travel long distances from feeding grounds in the North Atlantic to spawn there. Our results show extensive nutrient regeneration fueling primary productivity (mostly by cyanobacteria and other picophytoplankton) in the upper euphotic zone. The food web is dominated by the microbial loop (>70% of net primary productivity is respired by heterotrophic bacteria and protists that feed on them). By contrast, herbivorous food web pathways from phytoplankton to metazoan zooplankton process <10% of the net primary production in the mixed layer. Nevertheless, ABT larvae feed preferentially on podonid cladocerans and other suspension-feeding zooplankton, which in turn derive much of their nutrition from nano- and micro-phytoplankton (mixotrophic flagellates, and to a lesser extent, diatoms). This allows ABT larvae to maintain a comparatively low trophic level (~4.2 for preflexion and postflexion larvae), which increases trophic transfer from phytoplankton to larval fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) undertake long-distance migrations from rich feeding grounds in the North Atlantic to spawn in oligotrophic waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Stock recruitment is strongly affected by interannual variability in the physical features associated with ABT larvae, but the nutrient sources and food-web structure of preferred habitat, the edges of anticyclonic loop eddies, are unknown. Here, we describe the goals, physical context, design and major findings of an end-to-end process study conducted during peak ABT spawning in May 2017 and 2018. Mesoscale features in the oceanic GoM were surveyed for larvae, and five multi-day Lagrangian experiments measured hydrography and nutrients; plankton biomass and composition from bacteria to zooplankton and fish larvae; phytoplankton nutrient uptake, productivity and taxon-specific growth rates; micro- and mesozooplankton grazing; particle export; and ABT larval feeding and growth rates. We provide a general introduction to the BLOOFINZ-GoM project (Bluefin tuna Larvae in Oligotrophic Ocean Foodwebs, Investigation of Nitrogen to Zooplankton) and highlight the finding, based on backtracking of experimental waters to their positions weeks earlier, that lateral transport from the continental slope region may be more of a key determinant of available habitat utilized by larvae than eddy edges per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 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), whereas 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the California Current Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research (CCE-LTER) Program, samples for epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry (FCM) were collected at ten ‘cardinal’ stations on the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) grid during 25 quarterly cruises from 2004 to 2010 to investigate the biomass, composition and size–structure of microbial communities within the southern CCE. Based on our results, we divided the region into offshore, and inshore northern and southern zones. Mixed-layer phytoplankton communities in the offshore had lower biomass (16±2 μg C L −1 ; all errors represent the 95% confidence interval), smaller size-class cells and biomass was more stable over seasonal cycles. Offshore phytoplankton biomass peaked during the winter months. Mixed-layer phytoplankton communities in the northern and southern inshore zones had higher biomass (78±22 and 32±9 μg C L −1 , respectively), larger size-class cells and stronger seasonal biomass patterns. Inshore communities were often dominated by micro-size (20–200 μm) diatoms; however, autotrophic dinoflagellates dominated during late 2005 to early 2006, corresponding to a year of delayed upwelling in the northern CCE. Biomass trends in mid and deep euphotic zone samples were similar to those seen in the mixed-layer, but with declining biomass with depth, especially for larger size classes in the inshore regions. Mixed-layer ratios of autotrophic carbon to chlorophyll a (AC:Chl a ) had a mean value of 51.5±5.3. Variability of nitracline depth, bin-averaged AC:Chl a in the mixed-layer ranged from 40 to 80 and from 22 to 35 for the deep euphotic zone, both with significant positive relationships to nitracline depth. Total living microbial carbon, including auto- and heterotrophs, consistently comprised about half of particulate organic carbon (POC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Iron (Fe) is the limiting nutrient for primary productivity in the Southern Ocean, with much of the dissolved iron (dFe) bound to organic ligands or colloids. A Fe model for the Southern Ocean (SOFe) is developed to understand the role of bacteria and organic ligands in controlling Fe cycling and productivity. The model resolves the classical food web and microbial loop, including three types of nutrients (N, Si, Fe) and two types of Fe ligands. Simulations of the zero-dimensional (0-D) model are calibrated with detailed results of shipboard grow-out incubation experiments conducted with Antarctic Peninsula phytoplankton communities during winter 2006 to provide the best estimate of key biological parameters. Then a one-dimensional (1-D) model is developed by coupling the biological model with the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) for a site on the Antarctic Peninsula shelf, and the model parameters are further calibrated with data collected from two surveys (summer 2004 and winter 2006) in the area. The results of the numerical simulations agree reasonably well with observations. An analysis of the 1-D model results suggests that bacteria and organic ligands may play an important role in Fe cycling, which can be categorized into a relatively fast mode within the euphotic zone dominated by photo-reactions (summer d Fe residence time about 600 days) and complexation and a slow mode below with most of the dFe biologically complexed (summer dFe residence time >10 years). The dFe removal from the euphotic zone is dominated by colloidal formation and further aggregations with additional contribution from biological uptake, and an increase of organic ligands would reduce Fe export. The decrease of Fe removal rate over depth is due to the continuous dissolution and remineralization of particulate Fe. A number of sensitivity experiments are carried out for both 0-D and 1-D models to understand the importance of photo-reactive processes in primary productivity, bacterial activity, Fe speciation, and dFe residence time within the euphotic zone. The bio-availability of ligand-bound Fe (FeL) is critical to modeled high primary productivity, which is consistent with both shipboard measurements and field observations. In addition, model productivity is sensitive to photoreaction rates if FeL is not directly available for phytoplankton uptake. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Synechococcus (Syn) was traced through the CRD ecosystem and into sediment traps. [•] Total POC export in the CRD averaged 50–70mgCm−2 d−1. [•] ∼0.1% of POC export was attributable to direct sinking of ungrazed Syn. [•] Trophic pathways through grazers supported most exported Syn, but were a minor term. [•] Fecal pellets of herbivorous mesozooplankton were responsible for most carbon flux. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, and picoeukaryotic algae dominate the plankton community of high nutrient-low chlorophyll (HNLC) areas of the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP). While grazing on these picoplankton is often attributed to aplastidic zooflagellates, mixotrophic nanoflagellates (phagotrophic phototrophs) may also exert a large grazing pressure. We assessed the relative contributions of mixotrophic nanoplankton and obligate heterotrophs to picoplankton phagotrophy in mixed-layer water of the EEP using 0.8-μm Fluorescently-Labeled Bacteria (FLB). Obligate heterotrophs and phototrophs were distinguished from their ratios of microscopically measured red (chlorophyll a) to green (proflavin-stained protein) fluorescence. Sampling sites were located along a nutrient gradient formed by a tropical instability wave at 0.5°N between 123.5°W and 128°W and at 1.75°N, 125°W. The majority of ingested particles were found within 3-5μm flagellates, with 54% of the demonstrated phagotrophs belonging to the high-pigment putatively phototrophic population and obligate heterotrophs responsible for 51% of the demonstrated phagotrophy due to their greater propensity to ingest multiple prey. The importance of mixotrophy as a means of alleviating nutrient stress is indicated by a strong inverse relationship between the proportion of community FLB uptake by mixotrophs and ambient nutrient concentration. Low ambient Fe concentration and a demonstrated community response to Fe-addition in shipboard grow-out experiments suggest that mixotrophs were primarily engaging in phagotrophy to offset Fe-deficiencies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The concentrations of dissolved Fe and Al were determined in the upper waters of the eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) between 5°N and 4°S at 110°W and along the equator from 115°W to 140°W between 3 December 2004 and 2 January 2005. The most notable feature is a distinct Al maximum that appears as a 100-150m thick layer that corresponds closely to the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). The origin of this enrichment is likely from sediment resuspension processes in the source water regions of the EUC in the western Pacific. There is no corresponding feature in dissolved Fe but vertical profiles of Fe show typical nutrient-like distributions. Concentrations of dissolved Al decline slightly within the EUC along its advective flow path, but concentrations of Fe decline much more significantly at all depths along the section as a result of particle scavenging. Upwelling of the upper part of the EUC is the main source of Fe to the surface waters of this region, since eolian deposition, calculated from surface water dissolved Al, is minimal. The continual depletion of Fe in the source waters feeding the upwelling results in a decline of the Fe supply to surface waters. At 140°W in the surface waters, the N:Fe ratio (∼15,000:1) implies the presence of sufficient Fe to allow full utilization of upwelled nitrate. By 110°W, the N:Fe ratio is >60,000:1, implying surface waters that are severely Fe-limited. The change in the status of the surface waters from Fe-sufficient to Fe-limited appears to be largely the result of the inorganic scavenging of Fe from the water column by the vertical particle rain rate, which itself is produced in surface waters by the upwelling of nutrients and Fe. Thus the progressive depletion of Fe from west to east appears to be directly related to production stimulated in the surface waters by the Fe-rich upwelling in the west. The large loss of Fe over this relatively short spatial scale in a rapidly moving water mass implies an extremely short residence time under these conditions and also suggests that the EUC might provide a natural laboratory for studying the relative scavenging rates for a variety of trace elements. These results imply that the persistent high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll conditions in the EEP are a result of Fe-limitation, but that changing climatologic conditions in the source regions of the EUC may result in temporal variation in the amount of that Fe supply. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigated the biomass, size structure and composition of microbial communities over a broad area of the eastern equatorial Pacific (4°N-4°S, 110-140°W) during cruises in December 2004 (EB04) and September 2005 (EB05). Vertical-profile samples were collected at 30 stations at depths extending from the surface to the 0.1% light level, and each sample was analyzed quantitatively by flow cytometry and epifluorescence microscopy. Autotrophic biomass averaged 14.8±4.2 (1s.d.)μgCL−1 for the euphotic zone, with dinoflagellates comprising 39%, Prochlorococcus 28%, other flagellates 18%, Synechococcus 7.5%, and diatoms 6.3%. Nanoplankton accounted for 46% of autotroph biomass, while pico- and microphytoplankton comprised 39 and 16%, respectively. C:Chl averaged 64±14 for the euphotic zone, with a mean mixed-layer value of 78±20 and a minimum of 36±15 at the 1% light level. Heterotrophic biomass averaged 7.0±1.2μgCL−1 for prokaryotes, 1.6±0.9μgCL−1 for dinoflagellates, 1.5±1.1μgCL−1 for other flagellates, and 2.1±0.4μgCL−1 for ciliates. Euphotic zone integrated biomass varied 2-fold, 1.2 to 2.5gCm−2, among stations, decreasing west to east with the gradient in euphotic zone concentrations of dissolved iron. Overall, community biomass and the contributions of functional groups displayed remarkable constancy over our study area, but some patterns were evident, such as the enhancement of picophytoplankton in the leading (upwelling) edges of tropical instability waves and larger diatoms in the trailing (downwelling) edges. Prochlorococcus, in particular, exhibited more variability than expected, given its generally assumed role as a stable background species in the tropical oceans, and was positively associated with the areas of enhanced autotrophic carbon and Chl a. With corrections for different methodological assumptions taken into account, our EB05 estimates of mixed-layer community biomass are 27-35% higher than values for JGOFS studies in 1992. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As part of the E-Flux project, we documented spatial variability and temporal changes in plankton community structure in a cold-core cyclonic eddy in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Cyclone Opal spanned 200km in diameter, with sharply uplifted isopycnals (80–100m relative to surrounding waters) and a strongly expressed deep chlorophyll a maximum (DCM) in its central core region of 40km diameter. Microscopic and flow cytometric analyses of samples from across the eddy revealed dramatic transitions in phytoplankton community structure, reflecting Opal''s well-developed physical structure. Upper mixed-layer populations in the eddy resembled those outside the eddy and were dominated by picophytoplankton. In contrast, the DCM was composed of large chain-forming diatoms dominated by Chaetoceros and Rhizosolenia spp. Diatoms attained unprecedented levels of biomass (nearly 90μgCl−1) in the center of the eddy, accounting for 85% of photosynthetic biomass. Protozoan grazers displayed two- to three-fold higher biomass levels in the eddy center as well. We also found a distinct and persistent layer of senescent diatom cells overlying healthy populations, often separated by less than 10m, indicating that we were sampling a bloom in a state of decline. Time-series sampling over 8 days showed a successional shift in community structure within the central diatom bloom, from the unexpected large chain-forming species to smaller forms more typical of the subtropical North Pacific. The diatom bloom of Cyclone Opal was a unique, and possibly extreme, example of biological response to physical forcing in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, and its detailed study may therefore help to improve our predictive understanding of environmental controls on plankton community structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Deals with a study that examined the seasonal and interannual variability in mesozooplankton biomass structure at Ocean Station ALOHA in Hawaii. Materials and methods used; Error estimates; Seasonal patterns at the station.

Mixotrophic nanoflagellates can account for more than half of the bacterivory in the sunlit ocean, yet very little is known about their ecophysiology. Here, we characterize the grazing ecology of an open‐ocean mixotroph in the genus Florenciella (class Dictyochophyceae). Members of this class were indirectly implicated as major consumers of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, but their phagotrophic capabilities have never been investigated. Our studies showed that Florenciella readily consumed Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and heterotrophic bacteria, and that the ingested prey relieved nutrient limitations on growth. Florenciella grew faster (3 d−1) in nitrogen‐deplete medium given sufficient live Synechococcus, than in nitrogen‐replete K medium (2 d−1), but it did not grow in continuous darkness. Grazing rates were substantially higher under nutrient limitation and showed a hint of diel variability, with rates tending to be highest near the end of the light period. An apparent trade‐off between the maximum clearance rate (5 nL Florenciella−1 h−1) and the maximum ingestion rate (up to ∼ 10 prey cells Florenciella−1 h−1) across experiments suggests that grazing behavior may also vary in response to prey concentration. If the observed grazing rates are representative of other open‐ocean mixotrophs, their collective activity could account for a significant fraction of the daily cyanobacterial mortality. This study provides essential parameters for understanding the grazing ecology of a common marine mixotroph and the first characterization of mixotrophic nanoflagellate functional responses when feeding on unicellular cyanobacteria, the dominant marine primary producers in the oligotrophic ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04187-3. Horizontal dashed lines extend the WC demarcations for easier comparison to salp species The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

The role that dissolved iron (dFe) rich Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) might play in sustaining the consistently observed discrete patches of high chlorophyll biomass over Pennell Bank (PB) and Mawson Bank (MB) in the Ross Sea, was investigated during January/February 2011. Over a 26-day period, hydrographic and trace metal clean water sampling was carried out adjacent to both of these banks, in some cases repeatedly. Particulate sampling was also accomplished at selected stations by in situ pumping. The results indicate that the dFe content of the CDW is in fact reduced by on-shelf mixing with Antarctic Surface Water as it transitions into modified CDW (MCDW). Our stations above PB, where the maximum bloom is encountered, show no evidence of MCDW presence. In contrast, above MB, where there is a smaller persistent bloom, MCDW was observed. Although both of these stations displayed the imprint of sedimentary Fe input connected to the strong tidal cycles above the banks, the stronger near-bottom density gradient that MCDW produces appears to contribute to reduced vertical mixing of the sedimentary source. Thus, ironically, the presence of MCDW may be hindering the Fe supply to the surface waters, rather than being the source, as originally hypothesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated biomass, size-structure, composition, depth distributions and spatial variability of the phytoplankton community in the Costa Rica Dome (CRD) in June-July 2010. Euphotic zone profiles were sampled daily during Lagrangian experiments in and out of the dome region, and the community was analyzed using a combination of digital epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and HPLC pigments. The mean depth-integrated biomass of phytoplankton ranged 2-fold, from 1089 to 1858 mg C m-2 (mean±SE = 1378±112 mg C m-2), among 4 water parcels tracked for 4 days. Corresponding mean (±SE) integrated values for total chlorophyll a (Chl a) and the ratio of autotrophic carbon to Chl a were 24.1±1.5 mg Chl a m22 and 57.5±3.4, respectively. Absolute and relative contributions of picophytoplankton (~60%), Synechococcus (>33%) and Prochlorococcus (17%) to phytoplankton community biomass were highest in the central dome region, while >20 μm phytoplankton accounted for ≤10%, and diatoms <2%, of biomass in all areas. Nonetheless, autotrophic flagellates, dominated by dinoflagellates, exceeded biomass contributions of Synechococcus at all locations. Order-of-magnitude discrepancies in the relative contributions of diatoms (overestimated) and dinoflagellates (underestimated) based on diagnostic pigments relative to microscopy highlight potential significant biases associated with making community inferences from pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs) are major oceanic primary producers. However, the diversity of such communities remains poorly understood, especially in the northwestern (NW) Pacific. We investigated the abundance and diversity of PPEs, and recorded environmental variables, along a transect from the coast to the open Pacific Ocean. High-throughput tag sequencing (using the MiSeq system) revealed the diversity of plastid 16S rRNA genes. The dominant PPEs changed at the class level along the transect. Prymnesiophyceae were the only dominant PPEs in the warm pool of the NW Pacific, but Mamiellophyceae dominated in coastal waters of the East China Sea. Phylogenetically, most Prymnesiophyceae sequences could not be resolved at lower taxonomic levels because no close relatives have been cultured. Within the Mamiellophyceae, the genera Micromonas and Ostreococcus dominated in marginal coastal areas affected by open water, whereas Bathycoccus dominated in the lower euphotic depths of oligotrophic open waters. Cryptophyceae and Phaeocystis (of the Prymnesiophyceae) dominated in areas affected principally by coastal water. We also defined the biogeographical distributions of Chrysophyceae, prasinophytes, Bacillariophyceaea and Pelagophyceae. These distributions were influenced by temperature, salinity and chlorophyll a and nutrient concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated plankton biomass structure, production and grazing rates from temperate to tropical waters (39.5–11.5°S) along the historic 110°E transect in the eastern Indian Ocean (IO) during May–June 2019. The timing captures the seasonal transition from moderate productivity in the subtropical sector to seasonally high primary production in tropical waters as described in IIOE (International Indian Ocean Expedition) studies of the 1960s. Carbon-based estimates of phytoplankton production and microzooplankton grazing were determined from depth profiles of dilution incubations analyzed by flow cytometry and pigments; mesozooplankton biomass and grazing were determined from net sampling and gut fluorescence for the integrated euphotic zone. Phytoplankton biomass varied from 860 to 1740 mg C m−2, averaging 1187 mg C m−2 with no latitudinal trend. Mixed-layer C:Chl a ranged from 20 to 40 in the nitrogen-rich subtropical front to 100–180 in tropical waters. Prochlorococcus increased from 141 to 915 mg C m−2 between 39.5°S and 20°S and averaged 700 mg C m−2 at lower latitudes. Synechococcus and photosynthetic eukaryotes contributed least to biomass (3.6 and 30.5%, respectively) at mid-transect locations (15.5–27.5°S). Dinoflagellates and diatoms were typically rare (28 and 6 mg C m−2, respectively). Among heterotrophs, bacteria averaged 476 mg C m−2, with a subtropical front maximum but no latitudinal trend; ciliates averaged 112 mg C m−2, and mesozooplankton increased significantly south-to-north (131–488 mg C m−2). Phytoplankton production and grazing averaged 466 and 461 mg C m−2 d−1, respectively, based on the sums for flow-cytometry measured populations, and 618 and 604 mg C m−2 d−1, respectively, based on Chl a -determined rates. Our results highlight key relationships that link stocks and process rates across oceanographic provinces of the eastern IO. Production and grazing increased 6–8 fold from south to north. Prochlorococcus dominated productivity, and microzooplankton accounted for 85–89% of grazing. Production and grazing were strongly coupled and balanced on average. Over the transect, increasing growth conditions (light and temperature) mainly manifested as more rapid biomass turnover and mesozooplankton biomass accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial variability of plankton biomass, community composition and size structure was investigated across a strong frontal transition (A-Front) in the southern California Current Ecosystem in October 2008. Depth profiles were taken across a 25-km transect of nine stations sampled semi-synoptically during one night and for 3 days following drifter arrays in the adjacent water masses. Community compositions are compared based on analyses by digital epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and pigment composition by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Our results show three assemblages sharply delineated in space, with plankton at the front being compositionally distinct and biomass elevated relative to either of the adjacent water masses. Depth-averaged chlorophyll a (Chl a) varied by a factor of 2.3 (0.35–0.81 µg Chl a L−1) and autotrophic carbon (AC) varied almost 3-fold (13.6–35.4 µg C L−1) across the front. One of the most striking features was a sharp gradient in the distribution of Prochlorococcus (PRO) and Synechococcus (SYN), with PRO located in the warmer oligotrophic waters on the south side of the front and SYN located in the cooler mesotrophic waters to the north. Both PRO and SYN had local biomass minima directly at the front. The peak in phytoplankton biomass at the front was dominated by large (>20 µm) diatom cells, comprising 71% of the total community biomass. In contrast to previous studies of frontal features in the southern California Current, our study of the A-Front shows strong frontal enhancement of phytoplankton biomass and a shift of phytoplankton size structure towards larger cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The relative roles of silicon (Si) and iron (Fe) as limiting nutrients in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) were examined in a series of nine microcosm experiments conducted over two years between 110°W and 140°W longitude. Si and Fe additions had consistently different but synergistic effects on macronutrient use, phytoplankton biomass and phytoplankton community structure. Silicon addition increased silicic acid use and biogenic silica production, but had no significant effect on the use of inorganic nitrogen or orthophosphate, chlorophyll accumulation, particulate inorganic (PIC) carbon accumulation, or plankton community composition relative to controls. That result, together with observations that Si addition increased the cellular Si content of the numerically dominant diatom by ∼50%, indicates that the main effect of Si was to regulate diatom silicification. Like the effect of Si, Fe addition increased the rate of silicic acid use and biogenic silica production and had no effect on PIC production. Unlike the effect of Si, Fe addition also enhanced rates of organic matter production, had no effect on cellular Si content of diatoms, and resulted in the growth of initially rare, large (>40μm) diatoms relative to controls, indicating that Fe limitation acts mainly through its effects on growth rate and phytoplankton community composition. A pennate diatom of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia dominated the diatom assemblage in situ, grew readily in the controls and did not show a strong growth response to either Fe or Si addition suggesting that its growth was regulated by other factors such as grazing or light. Addition of germanium, an inhibitor of diatom cell division, eliminated the effects of Fe on macronutrient use, biogenic silica production and chlorophyll accumulation and phytoplankton community composition, consistent with a predominantly diatom response to Fe addition. The lack of a response of PIC production to Fe suggests that coccolithophores were not Fe limited. Addition of Fe and Si together resulted in the greatest levels of nutrient drawdown and biomass accumulation through the effect of Fe in promoting the growth of large diatoms. The results suggest a form of co-limitation with Si regulating diatom silicification and the rate of biogenic silica production while Fe regulates the production of organic matter through limitation of phytoplankton growth rates, in particular those of large diatoms. The results argue against Si regulation of new production in the EEP under average upwelling conditions. Iron addition was necessary and sufficient to stimulate complete removal of nitrate within the equatorial upwelling zone suggesting that new production was restricted by low ambient dissolved Fe consistent with results from in situ Fe fertilization experiments conducted to the south of the equator outside of the equatorial upwelling zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As part of E-Flux III cruise studies in March 2005, we investigated phytoplankton community dynamics in a cyclonic cold-core eddy (Cyclone Opal) in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Experimental incubations were conducted under in situ temperature and light conditions on a drift array using a two-treatment dilution technique. Taxon-specific estimates of growth, grazing and production rates were obtained from analyses of incubation results based on phytoplankton pigments, flow cytometry and microscopy. Cyclone Opal was sampled at a biologically and physically mature state, with an 80–100m doming of isopycnal surfaces in its central region and a deep biomass maximum of large diatoms. Depth-profile experimentation defined three main zones. The upper (mixed) zone (0–40m), showed little compositional or biomass response to eddy nutrient enrichment, but growth, grazing and production rates were significantly enhanced in this layer relative to the ambient community outside of the eddy. Prochlorococcus spp. dominated the upper mixed layer, accounting for 50–60% of its estimated primary production both inside and outside of Opal. In contrast, the deep zone of 70–90m showed little evidence of growth rate enhancement and was principally defined by a ∼100-fold increase of large (>20-μm) diatoms and a shift from Prochlorococcus to diatom dominance (∼80%) of production. The intermediate layer of 50–60m marked the transition between the upper and lower extremes but also contained an elevated biomass of physiologically unhealthy diatoms with significantly depressed growth rates and proportionately greater grazing losses relative to diatoms above or below. Microzooplankton grazers consumed 58%, 65% and 55%, respectively, of the production of diatoms, Prochlorococcus and the total phytoplankton community in Cyclone Opal. The substantial grazing impact on diatoms suggests that efficient recycling was the major primary fate of diatom organic production, consistent with the low export fluxes and selective export of biogenic silica, as empty diatom frustules, in Cyclone Opal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the spatial variability of picocyanobacterial community structure across the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), an offshore upwelling system characterized by high seasonal abundance of Synechococcus spp. We constructed clone libraries of the rpoC1 gene to survey picocyanobacterial diversity and developed specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays to assess the distribution of genetically distinct Synechococcus (SYN) and Prochlorococcus (PRO) populations across vertical and horizontal physicochemical gradients. Flow cytometry data showed that cell abundances for both SYN and PRO were highest near the dome center. Phylogenetic analysis of rpoC1 sequences revealed a remarkably high and distinctive picocyanobacterial diversity (FLU1-3, CRD1, Clade II, XV, XVI) that included "novel" SYN and PRO genotypes. Furthermore, genetically different populations exhibited vertical and horizontal spatial partitioning. Abundances of distinct SYN genotypes peaked at subsequent depth horizons, leading to a fine vertical structure with at least three populations stacked within the upper 30-40 m at the dome. Clade II and FLU1A peaked in surface waters, while maximum concentrations of CRD1, FLU1B, and Clade XVI occurred in the upper and lower thermocline, respectively. Horizontally, Clade II abundance in surface waters remained high across the entire region, while SYN genotypes CRD1 and FLU1A increased with shoaling of the thermo- and nutricline toward the center of the dome to become the dominant genotypes of the SYN assemblage in the dome. Below the mixed layer, Clade XVI and PRO genotype FLU2, virtually absent outside the dome, became abundant components of the picocyanobacterial assemblage. Despite their phylogenetic relatedness, FLU1A and FLU1B subclades followed different distributional patterns, suggesting ecological significance of the microdiversity within the clade. The unprecedented fine vertical structure demonstrated for SYN genotypes is driven by sharp physicochemical gradients (e.g., density, nutrient, oxygen, and trace metals) created by the dome and the presence of a shallow oxycline that enhances habitat diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel and independent couplings of field data sets suggest that only ~10-20% of the biogenic silica (bSi) in the surface waters of the eastern equatorial Pacific upwelling zone is associated with living diatoms. Accounting for the ~80-90% contribution of detrital bSi reconciles discrepancies between estimates of diatom growth rates obtained by different methods. Approximately 50% of the bSi associated with living diatoms was found to be in cells whose greatest linear dimension was > 40 µm. The contribution of that > 40-µm fraction to bSi production was less than its contribution to biomass, as smaller diatoms, between 10 and 40 µm, contributed 59-100% of bSi production. A steady-state model, parameterized using field data, appears to explain the origin of the large detrital bSi pool, relative to the living fraction. Because specific rates of diatom growth are several times higher than those of detrital bSi dissolution, bSi must be predominantly detrital to balance gross rates of silica production and dissolution. Zooplankton grazing is the dominant process creating the detrital bSi pool, and the balance between diatom growth and zooplankton grazing rates maintains a living bSi pool that is a small fraction of the total bSi. Our results show near equivalence between the gross rates of detrital silica production by mesozooplankton grazing and bSi export from the euphotic zone, and also between the rates of detrital silica production by microzooplankton grazing and bSi dissolution, suggesting distinct roles for the two zooplankton size classes in regional Si biogeochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processes influencing phytoplankton bloom development in the southern Drake Passage were studied using shipboard iron-enrichment incubations conducted across a surface chlorophyll gradient near the Antarctic Peninsula, in a region of water mass mixing. Iron incubation assays showed that Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) waters were severely iron limited, while shelf waters with high ambient iron concentrations (1-2 nmol L-1) were iron replete, demonstrating that mixing of the two water masses is a plausible mechanism for generation of the high phytoplankton biomass observed downstream of the Antarctic Peninsula. In downstream highchlorophyll mixed waters, phytoplankton growth rates were also iron limited, although responses to iron addition were generally more moderate as compared to ACC waters. Synthesizing results from all experiments, significant correlations were found between the initial measurements of Photosystem II (PSII) parameters (Fv : Fm, σPSII, and p) and the subsequent responses of these waters to iron addition. These correlations indicate that PSII parameters can be used to assess the degree of iron stress experienced in these waters and likely in other regions where photoinhibition and nitrogen stress are not confounding factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]