Microbial dynamics in an oligotrophic bay of the western subtropical Pacific: Impact of short-term heavy freshwater runoff and upwelling

This two-year study investigates the possible factors that determine spatial and temporal dynamics of picoplankton (heterotrophic bacteria, autotrophic picoplankton—Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus, and picoeukaryotes) and nanoflagellate abundance in the subtropical Ilan Bay, Taiwan, where the inner bay is affected by freshwater run-off from the Lanyang River and the eastern outer bay by the Kuroshio Current. In the inner bay, there was more rain and freshwater discharge in 2005 than in 2004 during the warm season (>24° C, June–September). The abundance of bacteria, Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus, and picoeukaryotes and the percentage contributions of pigmented nanoflagellate (PNF %) were two- to eight-fold greater during this period (July in 2005) than for other sampling periods. Relatively low abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) in the presence of abundant picoplankton prey suggests that top-down control determined HNF abundance in the Ilan Bay, Taiwan.     

Long-term (1998–2007) trends on the spatial distribution of heterotrophic ciliates in the East China Sea in summer: effect of the Three Gorges Dam construction

The spatial distribution of heterotrophic ciliates, environmental factors and potential food items (bacteria, Synechococcus spp. and nanoflagellates) were measured in the East China Sea to examine which variables contributed importantly to the long-term distribution of ciliates between 1998 and 2007. In July 1998 and June 2003, heterotrophic ciliates were found to be abundant (1,000–2,000 × 10³ cells m⁻³) in regions where surface salinity <32 but extremely low (<500 × 10³ cells m⁻³) in shelf waters of surface salinity >32. After August 2003, shortly after the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, we found no significant areal differences in the abundance of heterotrophic ciliates (HC). However, we found a significantly negative correlation between temperature and HC abundance of surface water after the completion of the dam, suggesting that temperature had a greater influence on HC abundance, once the original saline state had changed. For the long-term trends on the vertical distribution of HC, their abundance was significantly higher in the upper 50 m of the water column than at either 75 or 100 m. Abundance of Synechococcus spp. at these levels varied significantly in regions of surface salinity <32, suggesting that ciliates and picophytoplankton contribute greatly to mediating the transfer of organic matter to higher trophic levels in this marine ecosystem.     

Trophic coupling between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Synechococcus</Emphasis> and pigmented nanoflagellates in the coastal waters of Taiwan,western subtropical Pacific

In our attempt to characterize the interaction of trophic coupling between Synechococcus and pigmented nanoflagellates (PNFs), successive size-fraction experiments were performed at a coastal station on the northeast coast of Taiwan from June, 2005 to January, 2006. By estimating the growth rate and grazing rate of Synechococcus in the presence of nanoflagellates of different sizes, we truncated the food web by removing organisms with different body sizes (<2 μm, <5 μm, <10 μm, and <20 μm). The growth rates of Synechococcus ranged from −0.016 to 0.051 h⁻¹ during the experimental period, suggesting that temperature was a primary mechanism controlling Synechococcus growth. In addition to size and relative biomass of pigmented nanoflagellates and Synechococcus, it is suggested that community structures played an important role in trophic link. Furthermore, we conclude that the trophic cascading effect in the northeast coast of Taiwan includes: 1) high grazing rates at night in the warm season; 2) the Synechococcus biomass generally exceeds the grazing threshold (6 × 10⁴ cells mL⁻¹); and 3) the biomass ratio of <5 μm PNFs to >5 μm PNFs should be 1:1 to 2:1.     

黄海春季水华过程中微微型浮游生物的变化特点

于2007年3—4月在黄海中部海域采用流式细胞术研究了春季水华过程中聚球藻、微微型真核浮游生物和异养细菌的生物量变化。聚球藻和微微真核型浮游生物的生物量与叶绿素a浓度变化基本呈现相反的趋势,在水华前期较高,水华期迅速下降,直至水华后期又有所升高。异养细菌在整个水华过程中变化较小,生物量在水华期最高,与水柱叶绿素a浓度呈极显著正相关(r=0.319,p<0.01)。水华期这三类微微型浮游生物对浮游植物总碳生物量的贡献很低。纤毛虫和鞭毛虫捕食可能是导致聚球藻和微微型真核浮游生物在水华期生物量降低的主要原因。     

Role of environment and hydrography in determining the picoplankton community structure of Sagami Bay,Japan

Seasonal variations in the picoplankton community were investigated from June 2002 to March 2004 within the photic zone of Sagami Bay, Japan. The study area was mostly dominated by coastal waters during the warm period (mixed layer water temperature ≥ 18°C). During the cold period (mixed layer water temperature ≤ 18°C), the water mass was characterized by low temperature and high saline waters indicative of the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water (NPSTMW). Occasionally, a third type of water mass characterized by high temperature and low saline properties was observed, which could be evidence of the intrusion of warm Kuroshio waters. Synechococcus was the dominant picophytoplankton (5−28 × 10¹¹ cells m⁻²) followed by Prochlorococcus (1−5 × 10¹¹ cells m⁻²) and picoeukaryotes during the warm period. Heterotrophic bacteria dominated the picoplankton community throughout the year, especially in the warm period. During the Kuroshio Current advection, cyanobacterial abundance was high whereas that of picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria was low. During the cold period, homogeneously distributed, lower picophytoplankton cell densities were observed. The dominance of Synechococcus in the warm period reflects the importance of high temperature, low salinity and high Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) on its distribution. Cyanobacterial and heterotrophic bacterial abundance showed a positive correlation with temperature. Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes showed a positive correlation with nutrients. Picoeukaryotes were the major contributors to the picophytoplankton carbon biomass. The annual picophytoplankton contribution to the photosynthetic biomass was 32 ± 4%. These observations suggest that the environmental conditions, combined with the seasonal variability in the source of the water mass, determines the community structure of picoplankton, which contributes substantially to the phytoplankton biomass and can play a very important role in the food web dynamics of Sagami Bay.     

Microbial plankton abundance and heterotrophic activity across the Central Atlantic Ocean

The role of microorganisms in the transfer of carbon of marine systems is very important in open oligotrophic oceans. Here, we analyze the picoplankton structure, the heterotrophic bacterioplankton activity, and the predator-prey relationships between heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates during two large scale cruises in the Central Atlantic Ocean (∼29°N to ∼40°S). Latitud cruises were performed in 1995 between March-April and October-November. During both cruises we crossed the regions of different trophic statuses; where we measured different biological variables both at the surface and at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). The concentration of chlorophyll a varied between 0.1 and 0.8 mg m⁻³, the abundance of heterotrophic bacteria varied between <1.0 × 10⁵ and >1.0 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹, and that of heterotrophic nanoflagellates between <100 and >1.0 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹. The production of heterotrophic bacteria varied more than three orders of magnitude between <0.01 and 24 μgC L⁻¹ d⁻¹; and the growth rates were in the range <0.01-2.1 d⁻¹. In the Latitud-II cruise, Prochlorococcus ranged between <10³ and >3 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹, Synechococcus between <100 and >1.0 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹, and picoeukaryotes between <100 and >10⁴ cells ml⁻¹.Two empirical models were used to learn more about the relationship between heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates. Most bacterial production was ingested when this production was low, the heterotrophic nanoflagellates could be controlled by preys during Latitud-I cruise at the DCM, and by predators in the surface and in the Latitud-II cruise. Our results were placed in context with others about the structure and function of auto- and heterotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic nanoplankton in the Central Atlantic Ocean.     

Effects of an Artificial Breakwater on the Distributions of Planktonic Microbial Communities

The summer distributions of planktonic microbial communities (heterotrophic and phtosynthetic bacteria, phtosynthetic and heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliate plankton, and microphytoplankton) were compared between inner and outer areas of Lake Sihwa, divided by an artificial breakwater, located on the western coast of Korea, in September 2003. The semienclosed, inner area was characterized by hyposaline surface water (<17 psu), and by low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (avg. 0.4 mg L¹) and high concentrations of inorganic nutrients (nitrogenous nutrients >36 μM, phosphate <4 μM) in the bottom layer. Higher densities of heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates also occurred in the inner area than did in the outer area, while microphytoplankton (mainly diatoms) occurred abundantly in the outer area. A tiny tintinnid ciliate, Tintinnopsis nana, bloomed into more than 10⁶ cells L¹ at the surface layer of the inner area, while its abundance was much lower (10³-10⁴ cells L¹) in the outer area of the breakwater. Ciliate abundance was highly correlated with heterotrophic bacteria (r = 0.886, p < 0.001) and heterotrophic flagellates (r = 0.962, p < 0.001), indicating that rich food availability may have led to theT. nana bloom. These results suggest that the breakwater causes the eutrophic environment in artificial lakes with limited flushing of enriched water and develops into abundant bacteria, nanoflagellates, and ciliates.     

Phytoplankton community structure in the Arabian Sea during and after the SW monsoon, 1994

Diatoms, dinoflagellates, coccolithophores, nanoflagellates, picophytoplankton and procaryote algae (Synechococcus spp. and prochlorophytes) were quantified by microscopy and flow cytometry, and their biomass determined, at 12 stations along a 1600 km transect across the Arabian Sea at the end of the SW monsoon in September, and during the inter-monsoon period of November/December 1994. The transect spanned contrasting oceanic conditions that varied from seasonally eutrophic, upwelling waters through mesotrophic, downwelling waters to permanently oligotrophic, stratified waters. The overall diversity of diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores along the transect was not significantly different between the SW monsoon and inter-monsoon. However, diatoms showed greatest diversity during the SW monsoon and coccolithophores were most diverse during the inter-monsoon. Integrated phytoplankton standing stocks during the SW monsoon ranged from 3 to 9 g C m^-2 in the upwelling eutrophic waters, from 3 to 5 g C m^-2 in downwelling waters, and from 1 to 2 g C m^-2 in oligotrophic waters. Similar phytoplankton standing stocks were found in oligotrophic waters during the inter-monsoon, but were ca. 40% lower compared to the SW monsoon in the more physically dynamic waters. Phytoplankton abundance and biomass was dominated by procaryote taxa. Synechococcus spp. were abundant (often >10⁸ cells l^-1) during both the SW monsoon and inter-monsoon, where the nitrate concentration was ⩾0.1 μ mol l^-1, and often dominated the phytoplankton standing stocks. Prochlorophytes were restricted to oligotrophic stratified waters during the SW monsoon period but were found at all stations along the transect during the inter-monsoon, dominating the phytoplankton standing stocks (>40%) in the oligotrophic region during this period. Of the nano- and micro-phytoplankton, only diatoms contributed significantly to phytoplankton standing stocks, and then only in near-shore upwelling waters during the SW monsoon. There were significant changes in the temporal composition of the phytoplankton community. In nearshore waters a mixed community of diatoms and Synechococcus spp. dominated during the SW monsoon. This gave way to a community dominated by Synechococcus spp. in the intermonsoon. In the downwelling zone, a Synechococcus spp. dominated community was replaced by a mixed procaryote community of Synechococcus spp. and prochlorophytes. In the oligotrophic stratified waters, the mix of procaryote algae was replaced by one dominated by prochlorophytes alone.     

Viruses,bacteria, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in Laptev Sea plankton

The paper considers the concentrations and functional characteristics of viruses, bacteria, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates determined for the first time in the Laptev Sea in August-September, 2014. The abundance of bacteria, viruses, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates varied from 110.1 × 10³ to 828.4 × 10³ cells/mL, from 384.2 × 10³ to 2932.8 × 10³ particles/mL, and from 108 to 651 cells/mL, respectively. The daily bacterioplankton production varied from 4.2 × 10³ to 381.7 × 10³ cells/mL, with an average of 117.6 × 10³ cells/mL. Electron transmission microscopy has for the first time shown that the frequency of visibly infected bacterial cells varied from 0.2 to 2.0% (0.8% on average) of N_B. The average virus-induced mortality of bacteria was 6.3% of bacterioplankton production, with variations ranging from 1.4 to 16.9%. Grazing on bacteria by heterotrophic nanoflagellates contributed more to bacteria mortality than virus-induced bacterial lysis. By grazing on bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates consumed large quantities of viruses located on the surface and inside bacterial cells.     

Plankton community diversity from bacteria to copepods in bloom and non-bloom conditions in the Celtic Sea in spring

The plankton community composition comprising heterotrophic bacteria, pro-/eukaryotes, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton was assessed during the spring bloom and at non-bloom stations in the English Channel and Celtic Sea between 6 and 12 April 2002. Non-bloom sites were characterised by a dominance of pro-/eukaryotic phytoplankton <20 μm, higher abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates, microzooplankton standing stocks ranging between 60 and 380 mg C m⁻², lower mesozooplankton diversity and copepod abundance of between 760 and 2600 ind m⁻³. Within the bloom, the phytoplankton community was typically dominated by larger cells with low abundance of pro-/eukaryotes. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate cell bio-volume decreased leading to a reduction in biomass whereas microzooplankton biomass increased (360–1500 mg C m⁻²) due to an increase in cell bio-volume and copepod abundance ranged between 1400 and 3800 ind m⁻³. Mesozooplankton diversity increased with an increase in productivity. Relationships between the plankton community and environmental data were examined using multivariate statistics and these highlighted significant differences in the abiotic variables, the pro-/eukaryotic phytoplankton communities, heterotrophic nanoflagellate, microzooplankton and total zooplankton communities between the bloom and non-bloom sites. The variables which best described variation in the microzooplankton community were temperature and silicate. The spatial variation in zooplankton diversity was best explained by temperature. This study provides an insight into the changes that occur between trophic levels within the plankton in response to the spring bloom in this area.     

黄海冷水团海域微型异养鞭毛虫对异养细菌和蓝细菌摄食作用的初步研究

2006年10月在黄海冷水团海域的三个站点开展了微型异养鞭毛虫、异养细菌和蓝细菌的密度和生物量调查,进行了微型异养鞭毛虫的现场摄食实验,通过荧光标记细菌法和消化系数法获得该海区微型异养鞭毛虫对异养细菌和蓝细菌的摄食率,并估算了微型异养鞭毛虫对异养细菌和蓝细菌现存量及生产力的摄食压。结果显示,微型异养鞭毛虫、异养细菌和蓝细菌的密度分别为0.36×103~1.13×103,0.39×106~1.13×106和0.04×104~3.74×104cells/cm3,温跃层以上明显高于底层。微型异养鞭毛虫对异养细菌的摄食率为5.33~14.89个/(HF·h),对蓝细菌的摄食率为0.26×102~23.10×10-2cells/(HF·h),摄食率随深度而下降。微型异养鞭毛虫每天能消耗9.27%~33.08%的异养细菌现存量和8.12%~16.09%的蓝细菌现存量。同时,微型异养鞭毛虫对异养细菌和蓝细菌的日摄食量各占它们生产力的2.66%~13.10%和8.12%~16.09%。研究表明微型异养鞭毛虫的摄食可能不是秋季黄海冷水团海域浮游细菌及其生产力的主归宿。     

DMSP and DMS dynamics and microzooplankton grazing in the Labrador Sea: application of the dilution technique

We adapted the dilution technique to study microzooplankton grazing of algal dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) vs. Chl a, and to estimate the impact of microzooplankton grazing on dimethyl sulfide (DMS) production in the Labrador Sea. Phytoplankton numbers were dominated by autotrophic nanoflagellates in the Labrador basin, but diatoms and colonial Phaeocystis pouchetii contributed significantly to phytomass at several high chlorophyll stations and on the Newfoundland and Greenland shelfs. Throughout the region, growth of algal Chl a and DMSP was generally high (0.2–1 d⁻¹), but grazing rates were lower and more variable, characteristic of the early spring bloom period. Production and consumption of Chl a vs. DMSP followed no clear pattern, and sometimes diverged greatly, likely because of their differing distributions among algal prey taxa and size class. In several experiments where Phaeocystis was abundant, we observed DMS production proportional to grazing rate, and we found clear evidence of DMS production by this haptophyte following physical stress such as sparging or filtration. It is possible that grazing-activated DMSP cleavage by Phaeocystis contributes to grazer deterrence: protozoa and copepods apparently avoided healthy colonies (as judged by relative growth and grazing rates of Chl a and DMSP), and grazing of Phaeocystis was significant only at one station where cells were in poor condition. Although we hoped to examine selective grazing on or against DMSP-containing algal prey, the dilution technique cannot differentiate selective ingestion and varying digestion rates of Chl a and DMSP. We also found that the dilution method alone was poorly suited for assessing the impact of grazing on dissolved sulfur pools, because of rapid microbial consumption and the artifactual release of DMSP and DMS during filtration. Measuring and understanding the many processes affecting organosulfur cycling by the microbial food web in natural populations remain a technical challenge that will likely require a combination of techniques to address.     

Flow cytometry investigation of picoplankton across latitudes and along the circum Antarctic Ocean

Using a flow cytometer (FCM) onboard the R/V Xuelong during the 24th Chinese Antarctic cruise, picoplankton community structure and biomass in the surface water were examined along the latitude and around the Antarctic Ocean. Salinity and temperature were automatically recorded and total Chla was determined. Along the cruise, the abundance of Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus, pico-eukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria ranged in 0.001-1.855×10⁸ ind./L, 0.000-2.778￡108 ind./L, 0.002-1.060×10⁸ ind./L and 0.132-27.073×10⁸ ind./L, respectively. Major oceanic distribution of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus appeared between latitudes 30°N and 30°S. Prochlorococcus was mainly influenced by water temperature, water mass combination and freshwater inflow. Meanwhile, Synechococcus distribution was significantly associated with landing freshwater inflow. Pico-eukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria were distributed all over the oceans, but with a relatively low abundance in the high latitudes of the Antarctic Ocean. Principal Component Analysis showed that at same latitude of Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, picoplankton distribution and constitution were totally different, geographical location and different water masses combination would be main reasons.     

Seston available as a food resource for the ribbed mussel (Geukensia demissa) in a North American,mid-Atlantic saltmarsh

We studied the composition of the <25 μm seston size fraction as a food resource potentially available to suspension feeding ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa, over an annual cycle in Canary Creek saltmarsh, Delaware Bay. There were significant seasonal variations in the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate organic nitrogen (PON), and total carbohydrate, but not cellulose. The concentration of cellulose, measured by hydrolytic cellulase enzyme assay, was relatively low (seasonal range 24 to 35 μg l⁻¹) and only comprised from 3% of total carbohydrate in May 1996 to 13% in November 1995. We used the biomass of microalgae, estimated from chlorophyll a, and abundance of free-living bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates to calculate each component's equivalent carbon content. Microalgae were the most dominant carbon source (62% annually) among the four identified components (phytoplankton, bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, and cellulose) in all seasons except in August 1995 when carbon from bacteria was most abundant (55%). The annual average carbon equivalents of heterotrophic nanoflagellates and cellulose were relatively small (2 and 4%, respectively). The total concentration of POC in the seston was much greater than the carbon derived from the four identified components. The proportions that these identified components contributed to POC varied seasonally and combined only accounted for 8–24% of POC. Based on these estimates, the bulk of the POC in Canary Creek marsh was not associated with any of the four components we identified. We suggest that this uncharacterized material was some type of non-lignocellulosic, amorphous detritus of unknown utility as a food resource for ribbed mussels.     

Estimating Synechococcus spp. growth rates and grazingpressure by heterotrophic nanoplankton in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea

-Marine chroococcoid phycoerythrin - containing Synechococcus spp. recently have been implicated as a substantial component of the photosynthetic picoplankton in the ocean. Although the importance of Synechococcus as food sources for heterotrophic nanoplankton are now recognized, the information about its cycling of biomass and diel patterns is limited and the methodology used varies according to different authors. A selective metabolic inhibitor method was used to allow simultanous estimation of both growth rates and grazing disappearance rates of Synechococcus. Results obtained in the English Channel show growth rates ranging from 0. 25 to 0. 72 d-1 with an average value of 0. 51 d -1and grazing disappearance rates ranged from 0. 21 to 0. 64 d-1 (mean = 0. 44 d-1). Offshore in the Celtic Sea of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, both rates were lower than in the channel. The similarity between average growth and grazing rates suggests a rapid recycling of Synechococcus biomass. In diel pattern, Synechococc     

Microzooplankton and mesozooplankton in an upwelling filament off Galicia: modelling and sensitivity analysis of the linkages and their impact on the carbon dynamics

This paper reports estimates of trophic flows of carbon off the Galician coast from a 1D ecological model, which are compared with field data from a two week Lagrangian drift experiment. The model consists of 9 biological components: nitrate, ammonium, >5μm phytoplankton, <5μm phytoplankton, heterotrophic nanoflagellates/dinoflagellates (5–20 μm), heterotrophic dinoflagellates (>20 μm), ciliates, fast sinking detritus and slow sinking detritus. Calculations were made for the fluxes of carbon between biological components within the upper 45m of the water column. The temporal development of primary production during the simulation period of two weeks was in good agreement with field estimates, which varied between 248 and 436mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates had the greatest impact on carbon flux, with a grazing rate of 168mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹. Herbivorous grazing by microzooplankton amounted to 215mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹, whereas grazing by copepods on phytoplankton was 35mgC.m⁻² d⁻¹. Copepods grazing on microzooplankton was minor (0.47mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹) and the export flux from the upper 45m was 302mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹. Sensitivity analyses, in which the grazing parameters (i.e the functional relationship between ingestion and food concentration) were changed, were carried out on the heterotrophic dinoflagellate, ciliate and heterotrophic nanoflagellates/dinoflagellate components of the model. These changes did not alter the temporal development of heterotrophic nanoflagellates/dinoflagellates biomass significantly, but ciliates and heterotrophic dinoflagellates were more sensitive to variations in the grazing parameters. The overall conclusion from this modelling study is that the coupling between small phytoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates was the quantitatively most important process controlling carbon flow in this region.     

Distribution of heterotrophic nanoflagellates and their importance as the bacterial consumer in a eutrophic coastal seawater

Seasonal and vertical changes in abundances of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF), and HNF grazing on bacteria were investigated in a small eutrophic inlet of Uranouchi-Wan throughout the years. Bacterial densities in the surface water ranged from 1.2 to 11 (average 4.3)×10⁶ cells ml^–1 with a couple of maxima following the algal blooming. Densities of HNF ranged from 0.54 to 73 (average 16.4)×10³ cells ml^–1 in the surface, and showed almost similar fluctuation pattern to that of bacteria with a time lag of about 1 to 2 weeks. Grazing rates of HNF on bacteria obtained by FLB method were 4.78 to 16.9 (average 10.3±SD 4.8) cells HNF^–1h^–1 in the surface layer in summer, and consequent total bacterial consumption rates by HNF fluctuated from 4 to 99×10⁴ cells ml^–1h^–1. In deeper layers, however, as HNF densities and grazing rates on bacteria were low, the grazing pressure of HNF on bacteria was small. Turnover times of bacteria by HNF grazing in the surface layer were calculated as relatively constant values of 40 to 60 h, however, it decreased to as low as 6 to 7 h when the HNF activity was highest. These results indicate that bacteria grew so actively by consuming organic matter in seawater as to compensate high HNF grazing pressure, and that bacteria and HNF in the microbial loop play important roles on the turnover of substrates in coastal ecosystems.     

The herbivorous impact of microzooplankton during two short-term Lagrangian experiments off the NW coast of Galicia in summer 1998

Microzooplankton (heterotrophic microplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates) and their herbivorous activity were estimated from dilution experiments in August 1998 during two Lagrangian drift experiments that sampled contrasting conditions—an upwelling/relaxation event along the shelf edge and an oligotrophic offshore filament. During upwelling/relaxation, heterotrophic microplankton were present at mean surface concentrations between 15,000 and 48,000 cells l⁻¹. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate concentrations were between 200 and 700 cells ml⁻¹ and the most abundant component of the heterotrophic microplankton was the aloricate choreotrich ciliates which increased dramatically in concentration from 6,000 to 24,000 cells l⁻¹ during the first 4 days of the study. Total microzooplankton biomass reached a maximum of 39mgC.m⁻³. In the filament, which developed from the upwelling, cell concentrations were lower and averaged 4,500 cells l⁻¹ for heterotrophic microplankton and 250 cells ml⁻¹ for heterotrophic nanoflagellates. Total microzooplankton biomass was about 10–12mgC.m⁻³. Microzooplankton turned over between 40 and 85% of the phytoplankton standing stock, thereby consuming between 5 and 78mg phytoplankton carbon.m⁻³.d⁻¹. The magnitude of this activity was highest during upwelling/relaxation and was positively correlated to heterotrophic nanoflagellate biomass and chlorophyll-a concentration but not heterotrophic microplankton biomass. The proportion of primary production grazed decreased from 160 to 59% d⁻¹ during upwelling/relaxation and ranged between 60 and 90% d⁻¹ in the filament. Microzooplankton herbivory within the euphotic zone increased from 684 to >2000mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹ during upwelling/relaxation and was between 327 and 802mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹ in the filament. Although microzooplankton herbivory was lower and less variable during the filament study, microzooplankton consumed on average 60% of the phytoplankton standing stocks which was higher than found during upwelling/relaxation. Microzooplankton assimilation efficiency ranged between 3 and 33% during upwelling/relaxation and between 0 and 13% in the filament. Our data demonstrate a close coupling between phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton herbivory in surface waters off the Galician Coast and suggest that microzooplankton may have been a significant sink for phytogenic carbon during August 1998.     

Picoplankton community structure on the Atlantic Meridional Transect: a comparison between seasons

Samples collected from 10 depths at 25 stations in September–October 1996 and 12 depths at 28 stations in April–May 1997 on an Atlantic Meridional Transect between the British Isles and the Falkland Islands were analysed by flow cytometry to determine the numbers and biomass of four categories of picoplankton: Prochlorococcus spp, Synechococcus spp, picoeukaryotic phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria. The composition of the picoplankton communities confirmed earlier findings (Zubkov, Sleigh, Tarran, Burkill & Leakey, 1998) about distinctive regions along the transect and indicated that the stations should be grouped into five provinces: northern temperate, northern Atlantic gyre, equatorial, southern Atlantic gyre and southern temperate, with an intrusion of upwelling water off the coast of Mauritania between the northern Atlantic gyre and equatorial waters. Prochlorococcus was the most numerous phototrophic organism in waters of both northern and southern gyres and in the equatorial region, at concentrations in excess of 0.1×10⁶ml⁻¹; it also dominated plant biomass in the gyres, but the biomass of the larger picoeukaryotic algae equalled that of Prochlorococcus in the equatorial region; higher standing stocks of both Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes were present in spring than in autumn in waters of both gyres. In temperate waters at both ends of the transect the numbers and biomass of picoeukaryotes and, more locally, of Synechococcus increased, and the Synechococcus, particularly, were more numerous in spring than in autumn. There was a pronounced southward shift of the main populations of both Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus in April–May in comparison to those of September–October, associated with seasonal changes in solar radiation, the abundance of Prochlorococcus dropping sharply near the 17°C contour, while Synechococcus was still present at temperatures below 10°C. Picoeukaryotes were more tolerant of low temperatures and lower light levels, often being more abundant in samples from greater depths, where they contributed to the deep chlorophyll maximum. Heterotrophic bacterial numbers and biomass tended to be highest in those samples where phototrophic biomass was greatest, with peaks in temperate and equatorial waters, which were shifted southwards in April–May compared with September–October.     

Variability in ultraplankton at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain study site

Observations of the ultraplankton (<5 μm) are presented from a 4 day mesoscale survey centred on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) study site (49°00’N 16°30’W), in July 2006. The organisms enumerated include two groups of phytoplankton, Synechococcus cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, large viruses, and two size classes of heterotrophic protist. The dataset comprises over 400 samples from the mixed layer taken over a 100 × 100 km² area at a spatial resolution of typically 2-3 km.For phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria there is a clear bimodal structure to the histograms of abundance indicative of two distinct communities in the region. Using the strong bimodality of one of the phytoplankton groups’ histogram as a basis, the dataset is split into two subsets, with roughly 200 points in each, corresponding to the two histogram peaks. Doing so provides evidence that Synechococcus and viruses may also have a bimodal structure. Correlations between all pairings of these five organisms (both phytoplankton groups, Synechococcus, heterotrophic bacteria and viruses) are positive and quite high (r>0.7). The two communities can therefore be characterised as high and low abundance. Although there is a coincidence of low abundances with high temperatures in the southwest corner of the region, where there was known to be an eddy present, the spatial distributions of these organisms over the whole region is poorly predicted by temperature (or salinity or density). Furthermore, the spatial distributions of heterotrophic protists are found to differ strongly from those of the other organisms, having a unimodal structure and no obvious large scale structure. The more random structure of the heterotrophs’ spatial distribution compared to their prey is consistent with previous results from the continental shelf, but is demonstrated for the open ocean here for the first time.Spatial variability is a large potential source of error in point samples, such as those comprising time series or transect cruises, unless a sufficient number of samples are taken. This large dataset is further used to provide guidance on the number of samples that would be required to estimate the mean abundance for the organisms accurately in this spatially variable region. Even if the bimodal structure was known initially, many of the organisms would require 10 or more samples to estimate the mean with 25% accuracy.