Bio-optical characteristics of diatom and prymnesiophyte populations in the Labrador Sea

Stuart, Venetia; Sathyendranath, Shubha; Head, Erica J. H.; Platt, Trevor; Irwin, B.; Maass, Heidi

doi:10.3354/meps201091

Cited by 81 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In agreement with previous studies, we found that phytoplankton communities dominated by diatoms had a high intracellular pigment concentration and low chl a-specific absorption coefficients (Stuart et al 2000). Although a significant variability has been found in pigment packaging and a* ph within diatoms (Finkel 2001), they generally consist of larger species (Fig.…”

Section: Effect Of Growth Conditions On the Chl A-specific Absorptionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Pigment specific in vivo light absorption of phytoplankton from estuarine, coastal and oceanic waters

Stæhr

Markager²,

Sand‐Jensen³

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of phytoplankton photoacclimation and adaptation to natural growth conditions on the chlorophyll a-specific in vivo absorption coefficient (a* ph ) was evaluated for samples collected in estuarine, coastal and oceanic waters. Despite an overall gradient in the physio-chemical environment from estuaries, over coastal, to oceanic waters, no clear relationships were found between a* ph and the prevailing light, temperature, salinity and nutrient concentrations, indicating that short-term cellular acclimation was of minor importance for the observed variability in a* ph . The clear decline in a* ph from oceanic, over coastal, to estuarine waters was, however, strongly correlated with an increase in cell size and intracellular chlorophyll a (chl a) content of the phytoplankton, and a reduction of photosynthetic carotenoids relative to chl a. Variations in photoprotective carotenoids relative to chl a seemed to be of minor importance for the variability in a* ph . In addition, significant differences in phytoplankton composition and abundance were observed, primarily driven by an increase in the abundance of diatoms, which furthermore correlated with increasing pigment packaging and decreasing a* ph . The observed differences in a* ph were, therefore, primarily driven by longerterm adaptations of the phytoplankton community. Our data suggests that an overall increase in nutrient loading from oceanic to estuarine waters increases phytoplankton abundance and favors larger sized species, particularly within the diatoms. These changes eventually decrease a* ph through a rise in the package effect and a lower abundance of photosynthetic carotenoids relative to chl a.

show abstract

Section: Effect Of Growth Conditions On the Chl A-specific Absorptionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Pigment specific in vivo light absorption of phytoplankton from estuarine, coastal and oceanic waters

Stæhr

Markager²,

Sand‐Jensen³

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Stations in the central Labrador Sea (Stns 5,7,8 and 9) seemed to be dominated by haptophytes and also chlorophytes (Stns 5 and 7), whereas stations on the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves (Stns 3,10,11,13 and 14) were apparently dominated by diatoms and haptophytes. The presence of the haptophyte Phaeocystis sp., which may contain large amounts of fucoxanthin, has been reported in the Labrador Sea by Stuart et al (2000).…”

Section: Distribution Of the Main Phytoplankton Groups At The Dcmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in pigment composition and optical characteristics of phytoplankton in the Labrador Sea and the Central North Atlantic

Lutz¹,

Sathyendranath²,

Head³

et al. 2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relationships between photoadaptation, photoacclimation, cell size and the optical characteristics of the phytoplankton community were studied in 2 areas of the Atlantic Ocean. Pigment composition, absorption and fluorescence excitation spectra were analyzed for samples collected during 2 spring cruises: one in the Labrador Sea and the other in the Central North Atlantic. Photoadaptation (i.e. evolutionary adaptation of different species leading to acquisition of different pigment composition) was evident in the distribution of the main phytoplankton pigments in the area. Photoacclimation (i.e. temporary changes in pigment concentrations in a given species) was also noticeable in the changes in pigment composition and optical characteristics of phytoplankton with changes in depth. Size fractionation of samples from the depth of the chlorophyll a (chl a) maximum showed that, on average, chl a concentration and the values of absorption and fluorescence were dominated by the > 2 µm fraction of phytoplankton. Spectral variations in absorption and fluorescence excitation were, however, similar for the small and for the large size fractions. A distinct regional distribution of algal groups was observed, in which prokaryotic picophytoplankton (size class < 2 µm) dominated in oligotrophic subtropical regions and larger cells (size class > 2 µm) dominated in coastal areas and at higher latitudes. Some significant relationships were observed between the relative abundances of pigments characteristic of certain algal groups and optical properties of the sample. For example, the ratio of absorption at 440 nm to that at 676 nm was positively correlated with the ratio of zeaxanthin to chl a, indicating high abundance of picophytoplankton, especially the cyanobacteria Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus. The ratio of absorption at 555 nm to that at 623 nm was positively correlated with the abundance of phycoerythrin-containing Synechococcus. These results show that useful information about phytoplankton group composition and photoacclimation state can be retrieved from optical properties at a regional scale.

show abstract

“…The magnitude and the spectral shape of a* chl (λ) are known to vary greatly in response to differences in species composition, cell size, light history, and nutrient conditions in the field, and can even vary within species due to pigmentation and package effects associated with photoacclimation and physiological status (Sathyendranath et al 1987, Mitchell & Kiefer 1988, Sosik & Mitchell 1991, 1994, Kirk 1994, Bricaud et al 1995, Culver & Perry 1999, Stuart et al 2000. In addition, our results suggest that endoparasites may contribute significantly to variations in the magnitude and the shape of a* chl (λ) within species, particularly in midto late stages of infection.…”

Section: Parasitism and Its Photophysiological Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of two strains of the parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya on growth, photosynthesis, light absorption, and quantum yield of bloom-forming dinoflagellates

Park¹,

Cooney²,

Yih³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bio-optical characteristics of diatom and prymnesiophyte populations in the Labrador Sea

Cited by 81 publications

References 54 publications

Pigment specific in vivo light absorption of phytoplankton from estuarine, coastal and oceanic waters

Pigment specific in vivo light absorption of phytoplankton from estuarine, coastal and oceanic waters

Variability in pigment composition and optical characteristics of phytoplankton in the Labrador Sea and the Central North Atlantic

Effects of two strains of the parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya on growth, photosynthesis, light absorption, and quantum yield of bloom-forming dinoflagellates

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About