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Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments

Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments
Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments
The effect of inorganic nutrients on planktonic assemblages has traditionally relied on concentrations rather than estimates of nutrient supply. We combined a novel dataset of hydrographic properties, turbulent mixing, nutrient concentration, and picoplankton community composition with the aims of (i) quantifying the role of temperature, light, and nitrate fluxes as factors controlling the distribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups, as determined by flow cytometry, and (ii) describing the ecological niches of the various components of the picoplankton community. Data were collected at 97 stations in the Atlantic Ocean, including tropical and subtropical open-ocean waters, the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, and the Galician coastal upwelling system of the northwest Iberian Peninsula. A generalized additive model (GAM) approach was used to predict depth-integrated biomass of each picoplankton subgroup based on three niche predictors: sea surface temperature, averaged daily surface irradiance, and the transport of nitrate into the euphotic zone, through both diffusion and advection. In addition, niche overlap among different picoplankton subgroups was computed using nonparametric kernel density functions. Temperature and nitrate supply were more relevant than light in predicting the biomass of most picoplankton subgroups, except for Prochlorococcus and low-nucleic-acid (LNA) prokaryotes, for which irradiance also played a significant role. Nitrate supply was the only factor that allowed the distinction among the ecological niches of all autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups. Prochlorococcus and LNA prokaryotes were more abundant in warmer waters (> 20°C) where the nitrate fluxes were low, whereas Synechococcus and high-nucleic-acid (HNA) prokaryotes prevailed mainly in cooler environments characterized by intermediate or high levels of nitrate supply. Finally, the niche of picoeukaryotes was defined by low temperatures and high nitrate supply. These results support the key role of nitrate supply, as it not only promotes the growth of large phytoplankton, but it also controls the structure of marine picoplankton communities.
1726-4170
6199-6220
Luis Otero-Ferrer, Jose
16b3b8e1-f559-4bc0-ad07-206095e275fd
Cermeño, Pedro
c179b90c-98ed-48c9-9d0b-67ad75c971e5
Bode, Antonio
d8924efc-411f-4bd5-a9dc-91e2d91a89af
Fernández-Castro, Bieito
8017e93c-d5ee-4bba-b443-9c72ca512d61
Gasol, Josep M.
15fcba14-0b79-4871-85ad-c098bdd7d582
Morán, Xosé Anxelu G.
ea2ef57b-b1e3-4e86-80f0-3feeabef355b
Marañon, Emilio
c1799c8b-0849-400f-88c3-7ba064feff5c
Moreira-Coello, Victor
9a7e3200-f007-4cb1-afde-eab82234542a
Varela, Marta M.
a9be8d53-044c-4341-a44c-af0eb346c85d
Villamaña, Marina
9504a28b-9fee-457d-b71e-690cb5c7a60d
Mouriño-Carballido, Beatriz
1bfd941d-9ec6-473f-94bd-bb6faac56fa5
Luis Otero-Ferrer, Jose
16b3b8e1-f559-4bc0-ad07-206095e275fd
Cermeño, Pedro
c179b90c-98ed-48c9-9d0b-67ad75c971e5
Bode, Antonio
d8924efc-411f-4bd5-a9dc-91e2d91a89af
Fernández-Castro, Bieito
8017e93c-d5ee-4bba-b443-9c72ca512d61
Gasol, Josep M.
15fcba14-0b79-4871-85ad-c098bdd7d582
Morán, Xosé Anxelu G.
ea2ef57b-b1e3-4e86-80f0-3feeabef355b
Marañon, Emilio
c1799c8b-0849-400f-88c3-7ba064feff5c
Moreira-Coello, Victor
9a7e3200-f007-4cb1-afde-eab82234542a
Varela, Marta M.
a9be8d53-044c-4341-a44c-af0eb346c85d
Villamaña, Marina
9504a28b-9fee-457d-b71e-690cb5c7a60d
Mouriño-Carballido, Beatriz
1bfd941d-9ec6-473f-94bd-bb6faac56fa5

Luis Otero-Ferrer, Jose, Cermeño, Pedro, Bode, Antonio, Fernández-Castro, Bieito, Gasol, Josep M., Morán, Xosé Anxelu G., Marañon, Emilio, Moreira-Coello, Victor, Varela, Marta M., Villamaña, Marina and Mouriño-Carballido, Beatriz (2018) Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments. Biogeosciences, 15 (20), 6199-6220. (doi:10.5194/bg-15-6199-2018).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The effect of inorganic nutrients on planktonic assemblages has traditionally relied on concentrations rather than estimates of nutrient supply. We combined a novel dataset of hydrographic properties, turbulent mixing, nutrient concentration, and picoplankton community composition with the aims of (i) quantifying the role of temperature, light, and nitrate fluxes as factors controlling the distribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups, as determined by flow cytometry, and (ii) describing the ecological niches of the various components of the picoplankton community. Data were collected at 97 stations in the Atlantic Ocean, including tropical and subtropical open-ocean waters, the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, and the Galician coastal upwelling system of the northwest Iberian Peninsula. A generalized additive model (GAM) approach was used to predict depth-integrated biomass of each picoplankton subgroup based on three niche predictors: sea surface temperature, averaged daily surface irradiance, and the transport of nitrate into the euphotic zone, through both diffusion and advection. In addition, niche overlap among different picoplankton subgroups was computed using nonparametric kernel density functions. Temperature and nitrate supply were more relevant than light in predicting the biomass of most picoplankton subgroups, except for Prochlorococcus and low-nucleic-acid (LNA) prokaryotes, for which irradiance also played a significant role. Nitrate supply was the only factor that allowed the distinction among the ecological niches of all autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups. Prochlorococcus and LNA prokaryotes were more abundant in warmer waters (> 20°C) where the nitrate fluxes were low, whereas Synechococcus and high-nucleic-acid (HNA) prokaryotes prevailed mainly in cooler environments characterized by intermediate or high levels of nitrate supply. Finally, the niche of picoeukaryotes was defined by low temperatures and high nitrate supply. These results support the key role of nitrate supply, as it not only promotes the growth of large phytoplankton, but it also controls the structure of marine picoplankton communities.

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Published date: 26 October 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 453656
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453656
ISSN: 1726-4170
PURE UUID: d54f9593-e72d-4f66-b558-11f731e3a705
ORCID for Bieito Fernández-Castro: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7797-854X

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Date deposited: 20 Jan 2022 17:44
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:04

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Contributors

Author: Jose Luis Otero-Ferrer
Author: Pedro Cermeño
Author: Antonio Bode
Author: Josep M. Gasol
Author: Xosé Anxelu G. Morán
Author: Emilio Marañon
Author: Victor Moreira-Coello
Author: Marta M. Varela
Author: Marina Villamaña
Author: Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido

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