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Phytoplankton responses and associated carbon cycling during shipboard carbonate chemistry manipulation experiments conducted around Northwest European shelf seas

Phytoplankton responses and associated carbon cycling during shipboard carbonate chemistry manipulation experiments conducted around Northwest European shelf seas
Phytoplankton responses and associated carbon cycling during shipboard carbonate chemistry manipulation experiments conducted around Northwest European shelf seas
The ongoing oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) is significantly altering the carbonate chemistry of seawater, a phenomenon referred to as ocean acidification. Experimental manipulations have been increasingly used to gauge how continued ocean acidification will potentially impact marine ecosystems and their associated biogeochemical cycles in the future; however, results amongst studies, particularly when performed on natural communities, are highly variable, which in part likely reflects inconsistencies in experimental approach. To investigate the potential for identification of more generic responses and greater experimentally reproducibility, we devised and implemented a series of highly replicated (n = 8), short term (2–4 days) multi-level (≥ 4 conditions) carbonate chemistry/nutrient manipulation experiments on a range of natural microbial communities sampled in Northwest European shelf seas. Carbonate chemistry manipulations and resulting biological responses were found to be highly reproducible within individual experiments and to a lesser extent between geographically different experiments. Statistically robust reproducible physiological responses of phytoplankton to increasing pCO2, characterized by a suppression of net growth for small sized cells (< 10 µm), were observed in the majority of the experiments, irrespective of nutrient status. Remaining between-experiment variability was potentially linked to initial community structure and/or other site-specific environmental factors. Analysis of carbon cycling within the experiments revealed the expected increased sensitivity of carbonate chemistry to biological processes at higher pCO2 and hence lower buffer capacity. The results thus emphasize how biological-chemical feedbacks may be altered in the future ocean.
1726-4170
4733-4752
Richier, S.
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Achterberg, E.P.
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Dumousseaud, C.
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Poulton, A.J.
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Suggett, D.J.
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Tyrrell, T.
6808411d-c9cf-47a3-88b6-c7c294f2d114
Zubkov, M.V.
b1dfb3a0-bcff-430c-9031-358a22b50743
Moore, C.M.
7ec80b7b-bedc-4dd5-8924-0f5d01927b12
Richier, S.
0fc0b375-6918-4c06-9d6f-229f6c4046ca
Achterberg, E.P.
685ce961-8c45-4503-9f03-50f6561202b9
Dumousseaud, C.
31cc4879-0d45-4674-8eba-93105ee25c2e
Poulton, A.J.
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Suggett, D.J.
a6ea4076-7f82-477d-8482-8cdbccb9554a
Tyrrell, T.
6808411d-c9cf-47a3-88b6-c7c294f2d114
Zubkov, M.V.
b1dfb3a0-bcff-430c-9031-358a22b50743
Moore, C.M.
7ec80b7b-bedc-4dd5-8924-0f5d01927b12

Richier, S., Achterberg, E.P., Dumousseaud, C., Poulton, A.J., Suggett, D.J., Tyrrell, T., Zubkov, M.V. and Moore, C.M. (2014) Phytoplankton responses and associated carbon cycling during shipboard carbonate chemistry manipulation experiments conducted around Northwest European shelf seas. Biogeosciences, 11 (17), 4733-4752. (doi:10.5194/bg-11-4733-2014).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The ongoing oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) is significantly altering the carbonate chemistry of seawater, a phenomenon referred to as ocean acidification. Experimental manipulations have been increasingly used to gauge how continued ocean acidification will potentially impact marine ecosystems and their associated biogeochemical cycles in the future; however, results amongst studies, particularly when performed on natural communities, are highly variable, which in part likely reflects inconsistencies in experimental approach. To investigate the potential for identification of more generic responses and greater experimentally reproducibility, we devised and implemented a series of highly replicated (n = 8), short term (2–4 days) multi-level (≥ 4 conditions) carbonate chemistry/nutrient manipulation experiments on a range of natural microbial communities sampled in Northwest European shelf seas. Carbonate chemistry manipulations and resulting biological responses were found to be highly reproducible within individual experiments and to a lesser extent between geographically different experiments. Statistically robust reproducible physiological responses of phytoplankton to increasing pCO2, characterized by a suppression of net growth for small sized cells (< 10 µm), were observed in the majority of the experiments, irrespective of nutrient status. Remaining between-experiment variability was potentially linked to initial community structure and/or other site-specific environmental factors. Analysis of carbon cycling within the experiments revealed the expected increased sensitivity of carbonate chemistry to biological processes at higher pCO2 and hence lower buffer capacity. The results thus emphasize how biological-chemical feedbacks may be altered in the future ocean.

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Accepted/In Press date: 3 March 2014
Published date: 9 September 2014
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science, Marine Biogeochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 367030
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/367030
ISSN: 1726-4170
PURE UUID: b51cf3ca-d516-4956-98f0-3ee7fe30575c
ORCID for C. Dumousseaud: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5995-902X
ORCID for T. Tyrrell: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1002-1716
ORCID for C.M. Moore: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9541-6046

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Date deposited: 18 Jul 2014 09:27
Last modified: 25 Jun 2024 01:42

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Contributors

Author: S. Richier
Author: E.P. Achterberg
Author: C. Dumousseaud ORCID iD
Author: A.J. Poulton
Author: D.J. Suggett
Author: T. Tyrrell ORCID iD
Author: M.V. Zubkov
Author: C.M. Moore ORCID iD

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