Defining the Realized Niche of the Two Major Clades of \u3ci\u3eTrichodesmium\u3c/i\u3e: A Study on the West Florida Shelf

The cyanobacterium Trichodesmium plays an essential role supporting ocean productivity by relieving nitrogen limitation via dinitrogen (N-2) fixation. The two common Trichodesmium clades, T. erythraeum and T. thiebautii, are both observed in waters along the West Florida Shelf (WFS). We hypothesized that these taxa occupy distinct realized niches, where T. thiebautii is the more oceanic clade. Samples for DNA and water chemistry analyses were collected on three separate WFS expeditions (2015, 2018, and 2019) spanning multiple seasons; abundances of the single copy housekeeping gene rnpB from both clades were enumerated via quantitative PCR. We conducted a suite of statistical analyses to assess Trichodesmium clade abundances in the context of the physicochemical data. We observed a consistent coastal vs. open ocean separation of the two clades: T. erythraeum was found in shallow waters where the concentrations of dissolved iron (dFe) and the groundwater tracer Ba were significantly higher, while T. thiebautii abundance was positively correlated with water column depth. The Loop Current intrusion in 2015 with entrained Missisippi River water brought higher dFe and elevated abundance of both clades offshore of the 50 m isobath, suggesting that both clades are subject to Fe limitation on the outer shelf. Whereas, previous work has observed that T. thiebautii is more abundant than T. erythraeum in open ocean surface waters, this is the first study to examine Trichodesmium niche differentiation in a coastal environment. Understanding the environmental niches of these two key taxa bears important implications for their contributions to global nitrogen and carbon cycling and their response to global climate change

A Process-based Approach to Evaluating the Role of Organic Ligands in Trace Metal Cycling in the Marine Environment

In addition to control by major nutrient elements (nitrogen, phosphorous, and silicon) growth and community composition of marine phytoplankton is also regulated by trace element nutrients (iron, copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt, nickel, and cadmium). Of these, iron is the most influential in the modern ocean, regulating phytoplankton growth and carbon export in high-nutrient low-chlorophyll regimes and exerting an important control on the marine nitrogen cycle through its role in di-nitrogen fixation. The distributions of these metals has the capacity to control primary production and phytoplankton community composition through differences in cellular quotas or metal sensitivities amongst species. The relationship between trace metal distributions and marine microorganisms is coupled; plankton and bacteria shape the distribution, speciation, and redox state of these metals through cellular uptake, recycling processes, and production of specific and non-specific metal chelators. The interplay between these chemical and biological processes has a profound influence on the modern ocean and global biogeochemical cycles. In this work the feedbacks between trace metal nutrients, natural metal-binding chelators, and marine microorganisms are examined in three distinct oceanic environments that encompass some of the major interfaces of trace metals to the ocean. In the upwelled waters of the California Current system field incubations examine the role of light on the uptake and speciation of metals; an important observation from this study was the increase in short-term Fe uptake rates for marine phytoplankton resulting from photochemical reactions of organically bound Fe, a process that may result in a competitive advantage for some phytoplankton species. In the surface waters of the West Florida Shelf a baseline study of the concentrations of bioactive trace metals and Fe-and-Cu binding organic ligands are reported between two seasons; the work identifies important regional and seasonal processes controlling the distributions of these metals and observed divergent mechanisms influencing the cycling of Fe-and-Cu-binding ligands that may act as a bottom-up control on phytoplankton communities in this region. In hydrothermal plumes along the Mid Atlantic Ridge field incubations examine the role of particles and Fe-binding ligands on the stabilization of dissolved Fe input from these vent systems; the experiments demonstrate the importance of colloids, exchange between particle phases, and Fe-binding ligand production in the stabilization of Fe far-field of these vent systems. The results of these studies present mechanistic frameworks to contextualize some of the basin-scale distributions of these metals generated from the GEOTRACES program. As the GEOTRACES program shifts progressively towards more process oriented studies this work may serve as a useful framework to test hypotheses and further characterize biogeochemical cycles of trace metals in these marine environments

Dissolved and total dissolvable trace metal concentrations, Fe and Cu-binding organic ligands, and Fe-binding humic-like substances from R/V Weatherbird cruise WB1513 and R/V Hogarth cruise HO-1807 along the West Florida Shelf in 2015 and 2018

Dataset: WFS GoM 2015 and 2018Dissolved and total dissolvable trace metal concentrations, Fe and Cu-binding organic ligands, and Fe-binding humic-like substances from R/V Weatherbird cruise WB1513 and R/V Hogarth cruise HO-1807 conducted along the West Florida Shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in 2015 and 2018. These data have been published in Mellett & Buck, 2020 (doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2020.103891). For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/820508Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) FWC award to K. Buck, Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) FIO award to K. Buc

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Trace Metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb), Iron and Copper Speciation, and Electroactive Fe-binding Humic Substances in Surface Waters of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

The concentrations of bioactive trace metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Ni, Cd, and Pb), Fe-and Cu-binding organic ligands, and electroactive Fe-binding humic substances were measured in surface waters across the West Florida Shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in June 2015 and in February-March 2018. Seasonal differences in dust deposition were associated with increased concentrations of Fe, Mn and Pb in offshore surface waters in June 2015 compared to Feb-Mar 2018. Total concentrations of Fe-binding ligands offshore were similar between seasons, and this ambient ligand pool acted to stabilize a portion of Fe delivered via dust deposition within the dissolved fraction. Apparent photoreduction of Cu-binding organic ligands in offshore summer surface waters led to bioavailable Cu2+ concentrations that could potentially inhibit the growth of some cyanobacteria species. The concentrations of Fe-binding humic-like ligands were better correlated with Cu-binding ligands than Fe-binding ligands, suggesting that terrestrially derived photoactive ligands may have a significant influence on the cycling of Cu-binding ligands across the West Florida Shelf. Intrusion of the Loop Current into the study region was observed in June 2015 and appeared to entrain bands of low salinity water from the northern Gulf of Mexico. This process brought elevated trace metals and Fe-binding humic-like ligands to the outer West Florida Shelf, which may then be delivered to the North Atlantic via the Loop Current-Florida Current-Gulf Stream system

Insights into the Bioavailability of Oceanic Dissolved Fe from Phytoplankton Uptake Kinetics

Phytoplankton growth in large parts of the world ocean is limited by low availability of dissolved iron (dFe), restricting oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2. The bioavailability of dFe in seawater is however difficult to appraise since it is bound by a variety of poorly characterized organic ligands. Here, we propose a new approach for evaluating seawater dFe bioavailability based on its uptake rate constant by Fe-limited cultured phytoplankton. We utilized seven phytoplankton species of diverse classes, sizes, and provenances to probe for dFe bioavailability in 12 seawater samples from several ocean basins and depths. All tested phytoplankton acquired organically bound Fe in any given sample at similar rates (after normalizing to cellular surface area), confirming that multiple, Fe-limited phytoplankton species can be used to probe dFe bioavailability in seawater. These phytoplankton-based uptake rate constants allowed us to compare water types, and obtain a grand average estimate of seawater dFe bioavailability. Among water types, dFe bioavailability varied by approximately four-fold, and did not clearly correlate with Fe concentrations or any of the measured Fe speciation parameters. Compared with well-studied Fe complexes, seawater dFe is more available than model siderophore Fe, but less available than inorganic Fe. Exposure of seawater to sunlight, however, significantly enhanced dFe bioavailability. The rate constants established in this work, not only facilitate comparison between water types, but also allow calculation of Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton in the ocean based on measured dFe concentrations. The approach established and verified in this study, opens a new way for determining dFe bioavailability in samples across the ocean, and enables modeling of in situ Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton using dFe concentrations from GEOTRACES datasets

Insights into the Bioavailability of Oceanic Dissolved Fe from Phytoplankton Uptake Kinetics

Phytoplankton growth in large parts of the world ocean is limited by low availability of dissolved iron (dFe), restricting oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2. The bioavailability of dFe in seawater is however difficult to appraise since it is bound by a variety of poorly characterized organic ligands. Here, we propose a new approach for evaluating seawater dFe bioavailability based on its uptake rate constant by Fe-limited cultured phytoplankton. We utilized seven phytoplankton species of diverse classes, sizes, and provenances to probe for dFe bioavailability in 12 seawater samples from several ocean basins and depths. All tested phytoplankton acquired organically bound Fe in any given sample at similar rates (after normalizing to cellular surface area), confirming that multiple, Fe-limited phytoplankton species can be used to probe dFe bioavailability in seawater. These phytoplankton-based uptake rate constants allowed us to compare water types, and obtain a grand average estimate of seawater dFe bioavailability. Among water types, dFe bioavailability varied by approximately four-fold, and did not clearly correlate with Fe concentrations or any of the measured Fe speciation parameters. Compared with well-studied Fe complexes, seawater dFe is more available than model siderophore Fe, but less available than inorganic Fe. Exposure of seawater to sunlight, however, significantly enhanced dFe bioavailability. The rate constants established in this work, not only facilitate comparison between water types, but also allow calculation of Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton in the ocean based on measured dFe concentrations. The approach established and verified in this study, opens a new way for determining dFe bioavailability in samples across the ocean, and enables modeling of in situ Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton using dFe concentrations from GEOTRACES datasets

Tracing differences in iron supply to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge valley between hydrothermal vent sites: implications for the addition of iron to the deep ocean

Abstract. Supply of iron (Fe) to the surface ocean supports primary productivity, and while hydrothermal input of Fe to the deep ocean is known to be extensive it remains poorly constrained. Global estimates of hydrothermal Fe supply rely on using dissolved Fe (dFe) to excess He (xs3He) ratios to upscale fluxes, but observational constraints on dFe/xs3He may be sensitive to assumptions linked to sampling and interpolation. We examined the variability in dFe/xs3He using two methods of estimation, for four vent sites with different geochemistry along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. At both Rainbow and TAG, the plume was sampled repeatedly and the range of dFe/xs3He was 4 to 63 and 4 to 87 nmol:fmol, respectively, primarily due to differences in plume age. To account for background xs3He and shifting plume position, we calibrated He values using contemporaneous dissolved Mn (dMn). Applying this approach more widely, we found dFe/xs3He ratios of 12, 4–8, 4–44, and 4–86 nmol fmol−1 for the Menez Gwen, Lucky Strike, Rainbow, and TAG hydrothermal vent sites, respectively. Differences in plume dFe/xs3He across sites were not simply related to the vent endmember Fe and He fluxes. Within 40 km of the vents, the dFe/xs3He ratios decreased to 3–38 nmol fmol−1, due to the precipitation and subsequent settling of particulates. The ratio of colloidal Fe to dFe was consistently higher (0.67–0.97) than the deep N. Atlantic (0.5) throughout both the TAG and Rainbow plumes, indicative of Fe exchange between dissolved and particulate phases. Our comparison of TAG and Rainbow shows there is a limit to the amount of hydrothermal Fe released from vents that can form colloids in the rising plume. Higher particle loading will enhance the longevity of the Rainbow hydrothermal plume within the deep ocean assuming particles undergo continual dissolution/disaggregation. Future studies examining the length of plume pathways required to escape the ridge valley will be important in determining Fe supply from slow spreading mid-ocean ridges to the deep ocean, along with the frequency of ultramafic sites such as Rainbow. Resolving the ridge valley bathymetry and accounting for variability in vent sources in global biogeochemical models will be key to further constraining the hydrothermal Fe flux. </jats:p

Assessing Cumulative Effects of Climate Change Manipulations on Phosphorus Limitation in a Californian Grassland

El curso se fundamenta en la Teoría Matemática de la Administración. Las personas que están involucradas con la Toma de Decisiones necesitan de instrumentos matemáticos para ciertas decisiones de carácter repetitivo posibles de ser programables las cuales pueden presentarse en niveles de decisión operativos tácticos e incluso estratégicos. Esta necesidad se ha ido incrementado con el transcurrir de los tiempos y ha dado origen a toda una disciplina llamada Investigación de Operaciones la cual tiene como fortaleza y sustento el diseño de modelos matemáticos en distintas áreas del quehacer empresarial. Se han seleccionado para desarrollar a lo largo de este curso: programación lineal CPM-PERT para la administración de un proyecto análisis de decisiones en situaciones de riesgo e incertidumbre; y líneas de espera

The Biogeochemical Cycling of Iron, Copper, Nickel, Cadmium, Manganese, Cobalt, Lead, and Scandium in a California Current Experimental Study

A 3‐day shipboard incubation experiment was conducted in the California Current System in July 2014 to investigate the cycling of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), and scandium (Sc) under a range of light and particle conditions. Filtered (\u3c 0.2 μm) and unfiltered treatments were incubated under the following light conditions: Dark, light (“UV”), and light without the ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths (“noUV”). The experiment was sampled for carbon and Fe uptake rates, dissolved trace metal concentrations (Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd, Mn, Co, Pb, Sc), Fe and Cu speciation, size‐fractionated concentrations of Cd and Fe, and diatom community composition from DNA sequencing. Exposure to UV light increased phytoplankton Fe uptake in the first 24 h of the incubation relative to the noUV treatment, suggesting that a fraction of the ambient ligand‐bound Fe was photoreactive. Fe‐binding organic ligand production was observed in the unfiltered light treatments in association with increasing chlorophyll a, and evidence for Cu‐binding ligand production in these treatments was also observed. Biological uptake of Cd and Co was observed along with scavenging of dissolved Pb. Manganese appeared to be rapidly oxidized by Mn‐oxidizing bacteria with concomitant drawdown of dissolved Ni. Scandium displayed similar trends to Fe, reinforcing the limited observations of the physicochemical similarities between these two elements in seawater. Overall, this study highlights distinct impacts of photochemical processes, scavenging, and biological effects on marine trace metal cycling in an environment characterized by seasonal upwelling

Assessing Cumulative Effects of Climate Change Manipulations on Phosphorus Limitation in a Californian Grassland

Grasslands throughout the world are responding in diverse ways to changing climate and environmental conditions. In this study we analyze indicators of phosphorus limitation including phosphorus concentrations, phosphorus to nitrogen, and carbon ratios, oxygen isotope ratios of phosphate in vegetation, and phosphatase enzyme activity in soil to shed light on potential effects of climate change on phosphorus availability to grassland vegetation. The study was conducted at the Jasper Ridge Global Change Experiment (JRGCE), California where manipulations mimicking increases in temperature, water, nitrogen and carbon-dioxide have been maintained for over 15 years. We compare our results to an earlier study conducted 3 years after the start of the experiment, in order to assess any change in the response of phosphorus over time. Our results suggest that a decade later the measured indicators show similar or only slightly stronger responses. Specifically, addition of nitrogen, the principle parameter controlling biomass growth, increased phosphorus demand but thresholds that suggest P limitation were not reached. A study documenting changes in net primary productivity (NPP) over time at the JRGCE also could not identify a progressive effect of the manipulations on NPP. Combined these results indicate that the vegetation in these grassland systems is not very sensitive to the range of climate parameters tested