Irradiance and nutrient-dependent effects on photosynthetic electron transport in Arctic phytoplankton: A comparison of two chlorophyll fluorescence-based approaches to derive primary photochemistry.

We employed Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry for high-resolution mapping of marine phytoplankton photophysiology and primary photochemistry in the Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait regions of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the summer of 2019. Continuous ship-board analysis of chlorophyll a variable fluorescence demonstrated relatively low photochemical efficiency over most of the cruise-track, with the exception of localized regions within Barrow Strait, where there was increased vertical mixing and proximity to land-based nutrient sources. Along the full transect, we observed strong non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence, with relaxation times longer than the 5-minute period used for dark acclimation. Such long-term quenching effects complicate continuous underway acquisition of fluorescence amplitude-based estimates of photosynthetic electron transport rates, which rely on dark acclimation of samples. As an alternative, we employed a new algorithm to derive electron transport rates based on analysis of fluorescence relaxation kinetics, which does not require dark acclimation. Direct comparison of kinetics- and amplitude-based electron transport rate measurements demonstrated that kinetic-based estimates were, on average, 2-fold higher than amplitude-based values. The magnitude of decoupling between the two electron transport rate estimates increased in association with photophysiological diagnostics of nutrient stress. Discrepancies between electron transport rate estimates likely resulted from the use of different photophysiological parameters to derive the kinetics- and amplitude-based algorithms, and choice of numerical model used to fit variable fluorescence curves and analyze fluorescence kinetics under actinic light. Our results highlight environmental and methodological influences on fluorescence-based photochemistry estimates, and prompt discussion of best-practices for future underway fluorescence-based efforts to monitor phytoplankton photosynthesis

CO(2) sensitivity of Southern Ocean phytoplankton

The Southern Ocean exerts a strong impact on marine biogeochemical cycles and global air-sea CO(2) fluxes. Over the coming century, large increases in surface ocean CO(2) levels, combined with increased upper water column temperatures and stratification, are expected to diminish Southern Ocean CO(2) uptake. These effects could be significantly modulated by concomitant CO(2)-dependent changes in the region\u27s biological carbon pump. Here we show that CO(2) concentrations affect the physiology, growth and species composition of phytoplankton assemblages in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Field results from in situ sampling and ship-board incubation experiments demonstrate that inorganic carbon uptake, steady-state productivity and diatom species composition are sensitive to CO(2) concentrations ranging from 100 to 800 ppm. Elevated CO(2) led to a measurable increase in phytoplankton productivity, promoting the growth of larger chain-forming diatoms. Our results suggest that CO(2) concentrations can influence biological carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean, thereby creating potential climate feedbacks

ΔO2/N2′ as a New Tracer of Marine Net Community Production: Application and Evaluation in the Subarctic Northeast Pacific and Canadian Arctic Ocean

We compared field measurements of the biological O2 saturation anomalies, 1O2/Ar and 1O2/N2, from simultaneous oceanographic deployments of a membrane inlet mass spectrometer and optode/gas tension device (GTD). Data from the Subarctic Northeast Pacific and Canadian Arctic Ocean were used to evaluate 1O2/N2 as an alternative to 1O2/Ar for estimates of mixed layer net community production (NCP). We observed strong spatial coherence between 1O2/Ar and 1O2/N2, with small offsets resulting from differences in the solubility properties of Ar and N2 and their sensitivity to vertical mixing fluxes. Larger offsets between the two tracers were observed across hydrographic fronts and under elevated sea states, resulting from the differential time-response of the optode and GTD, and from bubble dissolution in the ship’s seawater lines. We used a simple numerical framework to correct for physical sources of divergence between N2 and Ar, deriving the tracer 1O2/N20. Over most of our survey regions, 1O2/N20 provided a better analog for 1O2/Ar, and thus more accurate NCP estimates than 1O2/N2. However, in coastal Arctic waters, 1O2/N2 and 1O2/N20 performed equally well as NCP tracers. On average, mixed layer NCP estimated from 1O2/Ar and 1O2/N20agreed to within ∼2 mmol O2 m−2 d−1, with offsets typically smaller than other errorsin NCP calculations. Our results demonstrate a significant potential to derive NCP from underway O2/N2 measurements across various oceanic regions. Optode/GTD systems could replace mass spectrometers for autonomous NCP derivation under many oceanographic conditions, thereby presenting opportunities to significantly expand global NCP coverage from various underway platforms

Responses of marine benthic microalgae to elevated CO<inf>2</inf>

Increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere are causing a rise in pCO2 concentrations in the ocean surface and lowering pH. To predict the effects of these changes, we need to improve our understanding of the responses of marine primary producers since these drive biogeochemical cycles and profoundly affect the structure and function of benthic habitats. The effects of increasing CO2 levels on the colonisation of artificial substrata by microalgal assemblages (periphyton) were examined across a CO2 gradient off the volcanic island of Vulcano (NE Sicily). We show that periphyton communities altered significantly as CO2 concentrations increased. CO2 enrichment caused significant increases in chlorophyll a concentrations and in diatom abundance although we did not detect any changes in cyanobacteria. SEM analysis revealed major shifts in diatom assemblage composition as CO2 levels increased. The responses of benthic microalgae to rising anthropogenic CO2 emissions are likely to have significant ecological ramifications for coastal systems. © 2011 Springer-Verlag

Will ocean acidification affect marine microbes?

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Nature Publishing Group for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in The ISME Journal 5 (2011): 1-7, doi:10.1038/ismej.2010.79.The pH of the surface ocean is changing as a result of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and there are concerns about potential impacts of lower pH and associated alterations in seawater carbonate chemistry on the biogeochemical processes in the ocean. However, it is important to place these changes within the context of pH in the present day ocean, which is not constant; it varies systematically with season, depth and along productivity gradients. Yet this natural variability in pH has rarely been considered in assessments of the effect of ocean acidification on marine microbes. Surface pH can change as a consequence of microbial utilisation and production of carbon dioxide, and to a lesser extent other microbiallymediated processes such as nitrification. Useful comparisons can be made with microbes in other aquatic environments that readily accommodate very large and rapid pH change. For example, in many freshwater lakes, pH changes that are orders of magnitude greater than those projected for the 22nd century oceans can occur over periods of hours. Marine and freshwater assemblages have always experienced variable pH conditions. Therefore, an appropriate null hypothesis may be, until evidence is obtained to the contrary, that major biogeochemical processes in the oceans other than calcification will not be fundamentally different under future higher CO2 / lower pH conditions.Funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and logistical support from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (National Science Foundation grant EF-0424599) are gratefully acknowledged

Phase Shift from a Coral to a Corallimorph-Dominated Reef Associated with a Shipwreck on Palmyra Atoll

Coral reefs can undergo relatively rapid changes in the dominant biota, a phenomenon referred to as phase shift. Various reasons have been proposed to explain this phenomenon including increased human disturbance, pollution, or changes in coral reef biota that serve a major ecological function such as depletion of grazers. However, pinpointing the actual factors potentially responsible can be problematic. Here we show a phase shift from coral to the corallimorpharian Rhodactis howesii associated with a long line vessel that wrecked in 1991 on an isolated atoll (Palmyra) in the central Pacific Ocean. We documented high densities of R. howesii near the ship that progressively decreased with distance from the ship whereas R. howesii were rare to absent in other parts of the atoll. We also confirmed high densities of R. howesii around several buoys recently installed on the atoll in 2001. This is the first time that a phase shift on a coral reef has been unambiguously associated with man-made structures. This association was made, in part, because of the remoteness of Palmyra and its recent history of minimal human habitation or impact. Phase shifts can have long-term negative ramification for coral reefs, and eradication of organisms responsible for phase shifts in marine ecosystems can be difficult, particularly if such organisms cover a large area. The extensive R. howesii invasion and subsequent loss of coral reef habitat at Palmyra also highlights the importance of rapid removal of shipwrecks on corals reefs to mitigate the potential of reef overgrowth by invasives

Source identification and distribution reveals the potential of the geochemical Antarctic sea ice proxy IPSO25

The presence of a di-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) lipid biomarker (diene II) in Southern Ocean sediments has previously been proposed as a proxy measure of palaeo Antarctic sea ice. Here we show that a source of diene II is the sympagic diatom Berkeleya adeliensis Medlin. Furthermore, the propensity for B. adeliensis to flourish in platelet ice is reflected by an offshore downward gradient in diene II concentration in >100 surface sediments from Antarctic coastal and near-coastal environments. Since platelet ice formation is strongly associated with super-cooled freshwater inflow, we further hypothesize that sedimentary diene II provides a potentially sensitive proxy indicator of landfast sea ice influenced by meltwater discharge from nearby glaciers and ice shelves, and re-examination of some previous diene II downcore records supports this hypothesis. The term IPSO25-Ice Proxy for the Southern Ocean with 25 carbon atoms-is proposed as a proxy name for diene II

Trophic status of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii influences the impact of iron deficiency on photosynthesis

To investigate the impact of iron deficiency on bioenergetic pathways in Chlamydomonas, we compared growth rates, iron content, and photosynthetic parameters systematically in acetate versus CO2-grown cells. Acetate-grown cells have, predictably (2-fold) greater abundance of respiration components but also, counter-intuitively, more chlorophyll on a per cell basis. We found that phototrophic cells are less impacted by iron deficiency and this correlates with their higher iron content on a per cell basis, suggesting a greater capacity/ability for iron assimilation in this metabolic state. Phototrophic cells maintain both photosynthetic and respiratory function and their associated Fe-containing proteins in conditions where heterotrophic cells lose photosynthetic capacity and have reduced oxygen evolution activity. Maintenance of NPQ capacity might contribute to protection of the photosynthetic apparatus in iron-limited phototrophic cells. Acetate-grown iron-limited cells maintain high growth rates by suppressing photosynthesis but increasing instead respiration. These cells are also able to maintain a reduced plastoquinone pool

Rising CO2 and increased light exposure synergistically reduce marine primary productivity

Carbon dioxide and light are two major prerequisites of photosynthesis. Rising CO2 levels in oceanic surface waters in combination with ample light supply are therefore often considered stimulatory to marine primary production(1-3). Here we show that the combination of an increase in both CO2 and light exposure negatively impacts photosynthesis and growth of marine primary producers. When exposed to CO2 concentrations projected for the end of this century(4), natural phytoplankton assemblages of the South China Sea responded with decreased primary production and increased light stress at light intensities representative of the upper surface layer. The phytoplankton community shifted away from diatoms, the dominant phytoplankton group during our field campaigns. To examine the underlying mechanisms of the observed responses, we grew diatoms at different CO2 concentrations and under varying levels (5-100%) of solar radiation experienced by the phytoplankton at different depths of the euphotic zone. Above 22-36% of incident surface irradiance, growth rates in the high-CO2-grown cells were inversely related to light levels and exhibited reduced thresholds at which light becomes inhibitory. Future shoaling of upper-mixed-layer depths will expose phytoplankton to increased mean light intensities(5). In combination with rising CO2 levels, this may cause a widespread decline in marine primary production and a community shift away from diatoms, the main algal group that supports higher trophic levels and carbon export in the ocean