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Microbial biogeography of the North Sea during summer

Microbial biogeography of the North Sea during summer
Microbial biogeography of the North Sea during summer
Micro-organisms are vital for the functioning of all food webs and are the major drivers of the global biogeochemical cycles. The microbial community compositions and physicochemical conditions of the different water masses in the North Sea, a biologically productive sea on the northwestern European continental shelf, were studied during two summer cruises, in order to provide detailed baseline data for this region and examine its microbial biogeography. For each cruise the stations were clustered according to their physicochemical characteristics and their microbial community composition. The largest cluster, which covered most of the central and northern North Sea, consisted of stations that were characterized by a thermally stratified water column and had low chlorophyll a autofluorescence and generally low microbial abundances. The second main cluster contained stations that were dominated by picoeukaryotes and showed the influence of influxes of North Atlantic water via the English Channel and south of the Shetland Islands. The third main cluster was formed by stations that were dominated by cyanobacteria and nanoeukaryotes in the reduced salinity Norwegian Coastal and Skagerrak waters, while the fourth cluster represented the German Bight, a region with strong riverine input, high nutrient concentrations, and consequently high heterotrophic bacterial and viral abundances. Despite the complex and dynamic hydrographic nature of the North Sea, the consistent distinctions in microbiology between these different hydrographic regions during both cruises illustrate the strong links between the microbial community and its environment, as well as the possibility to use microorganisms for long-term monitoring of environmental change.
0168-2563
119-136
Brandsma, Joost
b4c553dc-9444-466a-b352-25fd8fa25ee7
Martínez, Joaquin Martínez
98ee86e2-b240-47ae-a8fc-e7b2ddbaf656
Slagter, Hans A.
0ef8a6a0-2abd-42f0-9710-aba8bb6c7373
Evans, Claire
93350709-cad3-4adf-8483-9bee595412f4
Brussaard, Corina P. D.
433a0c4f-d666-4c89-a1f8-ddbd3aeafc63
Brandsma, Joost
b4c553dc-9444-466a-b352-25fd8fa25ee7
Martínez, Joaquin Martínez
98ee86e2-b240-47ae-a8fc-e7b2ddbaf656
Slagter, Hans A.
0ef8a6a0-2abd-42f0-9710-aba8bb6c7373
Evans, Claire
93350709-cad3-4adf-8483-9bee595412f4
Brussaard, Corina P. D.
433a0c4f-d666-4c89-a1f8-ddbd3aeafc63

Brandsma, Joost, Martínez, Joaquin Martínez, Slagter, Hans A., Evans, Claire and Brussaard, Corina P. D. (2013) Microbial biogeography of the North Sea during summer. Biogeochemistry, 113 (1-3), 119-136. (doi:10.1007/s10533-012-9783-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Micro-organisms are vital for the functioning of all food webs and are the major drivers of the global biogeochemical cycles. The microbial community compositions and physicochemical conditions of the different water masses in the North Sea, a biologically productive sea on the northwestern European continental shelf, were studied during two summer cruises, in order to provide detailed baseline data for this region and examine its microbial biogeography. For each cruise the stations were clustered according to their physicochemical characteristics and their microbial community composition. The largest cluster, which covered most of the central and northern North Sea, consisted of stations that were characterized by a thermally stratified water column and had low chlorophyll a autofluorescence and generally low microbial abundances. The second main cluster contained stations that were dominated by picoeukaryotes and showed the influence of influxes of North Atlantic water via the English Channel and south of the Shetland Islands. The third main cluster was formed by stations that were dominated by cyanobacteria and nanoeukaryotes in the reduced salinity Norwegian Coastal and Skagerrak waters, while the fourth cluster represented the German Bight, a region with strong riverine input, high nutrient concentrations, and consequently high heterotrophic bacterial and viral abundances. Despite the complex and dynamic hydrographic nature of the North Sea, the consistent distinctions in microbiology between these different hydrographic regions during both cruises illustrate the strong links between the microbial community and its environment, as well as the possibility to use microorganisms for long-term monitoring of environmental change.

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More information

Published date: 1 May 2013
Organisations: Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems, National Oceanography Centre, Allergy & Inflammation Research

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 406869
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/406869
ISSN: 0168-2563
PURE UUID: 2f8e7731-7763-44a6-8011-147092eec282

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Date deposited: 25 Mar 2017 02:02
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 12:55

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Contributors

Author: Joost Brandsma
Author: Joaquin Martínez Martínez
Author: Hans A. Slagter
Author: Claire Evans
Author: Corina P. D. Brussaard

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