The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Roadmaps and detours: Active Chlorophyll- a assessments of primary productivity across marine and freshwater systems

Roadmaps and detours: Active Chlorophyll- a assessments of primary productivity across marine and freshwater systems
Roadmaps and detours: Active Chlorophyll- a assessments of primary productivity across marine and freshwater systems

Assessing phytoplankton productivity over space and time remains a core goal for oceanographers and limnologists. Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) provides a potential means to realize this goal with unprecedented resolution and scale yet has not become the "go-to" method despite high expectations. A major obstacle is difficulty converting electron transfer rates to equivalent rates of C-fixation most relevant for studies of biogeochemical C-fluxes. Such difficulty stems from methodological inconsistencies and our limited understanding of how the electron requirement for C-fixation (φe,C) is influenced by the environment and by differences in the composition and physiology of phytoplankton assemblages. We outline a "roadmap" for limiting methodological bias and to develop a more mechanistic understanding of the ecophysiology underlying φe,C. We 1) re-evaluate core physiological processes governing how microalgae invest photosynthetic electron transport-derived energy and reductant into stored carbon versus alternative sinks. Then, we 2) outline steps to facilitate broader uptake and exploitation of FRRf, which could transform our knowledge of aquatic primary productivity. We argue it is time to 3) revise our historic methodological focus on carbon as the currency of choice, to 4) better appreciate that electron transport fundamentally drives ecosystem biogeochemistry, modulates cell-to-cell interactions, and ultimately modifies community biomass and structure.

0013-936X
Hughes, David J.
374615ee-f4de-4e21-b0a5-df8182d3f110
Campbell, Douglas A.
a178c6a3-1a9a-41f0-95bc-46d735d2301f
Doblin, Martina A.
d4639004-0b3b-46f7-a8c7-3e15f2a982c6
Kromkamp, Jacco C.
aaa6bf12-5ab2-4319-8ac3-4a331e782960
Lawrenz, Evelyn
5f85ce9d-4de6-4a9e-b2c4-e6b518ac6364
Moore, C. Mark
7ec80b7b-bedc-4dd5-8924-0f5d01927b12
Oxborough, Kevin
16d1da54-ed48-400e-9acf-d03536a1401e
Prášil, Ondřej
c553fda0-711f-4fe5-9cd9-200ac4b50bd6
Ralph, Peter J.
7481397b-ad0d-41af-80c6-7288a2209ae8
Alvarez, Marco F.
17416a9e-9dd1-45ea-b7a3-97d0d4c47a4d
Suggett, David J.
9100a791-1264-40e4-9403-8491190c3430
Hughes, David J.
374615ee-f4de-4e21-b0a5-df8182d3f110
Campbell, Douglas A.
a178c6a3-1a9a-41f0-95bc-46d735d2301f
Doblin, Martina A.
d4639004-0b3b-46f7-a8c7-3e15f2a982c6
Kromkamp, Jacco C.
aaa6bf12-5ab2-4319-8ac3-4a331e782960
Lawrenz, Evelyn
5f85ce9d-4de6-4a9e-b2c4-e6b518ac6364
Moore, C. Mark
7ec80b7b-bedc-4dd5-8924-0f5d01927b12
Oxborough, Kevin
16d1da54-ed48-400e-9acf-d03536a1401e
Prášil, Ondřej
c553fda0-711f-4fe5-9cd9-200ac4b50bd6
Ralph, Peter J.
7481397b-ad0d-41af-80c6-7288a2209ae8
Alvarez, Marco F.
17416a9e-9dd1-45ea-b7a3-97d0d4c47a4d
Suggett, David J.
9100a791-1264-40e4-9403-8491190c3430

Hughes, David J., Campbell, Douglas A., Doblin, Martina A., Kromkamp, Jacco C., Lawrenz, Evelyn, Moore, C. Mark, Oxborough, Kevin, Prášil, Ondřej, Ralph, Peter J., Alvarez, Marco F. and Suggett, David J. (2018) Roadmaps and detours: Active Chlorophyll- a assessments of primary productivity across marine and freshwater systems. Environmental Science and Technology. (doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b03488).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Assessing phytoplankton productivity over space and time remains a core goal for oceanographers and limnologists. Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) provides a potential means to realize this goal with unprecedented resolution and scale yet has not become the "go-to" method despite high expectations. A major obstacle is difficulty converting electron transfer rates to equivalent rates of C-fixation most relevant for studies of biogeochemical C-fluxes. Such difficulty stems from methodological inconsistencies and our limited understanding of how the electron requirement for C-fixation (φe,C) is influenced by the environment and by differences in the composition and physiology of phytoplankton assemblages. We outline a "roadmap" for limiting methodological bias and to develop a more mechanistic understanding of the ecophysiology underlying φe,C. We 1) re-evaluate core physiological processes governing how microalgae invest photosynthetic electron transport-derived energy and reductant into stored carbon versus alternative sinks. Then, we 2) outline steps to facilitate broader uptake and exploitation of FRRf, which could transform our knowledge of aquatic primary productivity. We argue it is time to 3) revise our historic methodological focus on carbon as the currency of choice, to 4) better appreciate that electron transport fundamentally drives ecosystem biogeochemistry, modulates cell-to-cell interactions, and ultimately modifies community biomass and structure.

Text
acs.est.8b03488 - Version of Record
Available under License Other.
Download (3MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 24 September 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 24 September 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 425570
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425570
ISSN: 0013-936X
PURE UUID: da91ed9a-775a-467e-9fdc-1c24cce81e78
ORCID for C. Mark Moore: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9541-6046

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 25 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:38

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: David J. Hughes
Author: Douglas A. Campbell
Author: Martina A. Doblin
Author: Jacco C. Kromkamp
Author: Evelyn Lawrenz
Author: C. Mark Moore ORCID iD
Author: Kevin Oxborough
Author: Ondřej Prášil
Author: Peter J. Ralph
Author: Marco F. Alvarez
Author: David J. Suggett

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×