Clade and strain specific contributions of <i>Synechococcus</i> and <i>Prochlorococcus</i> to carbon export in the Sargasso Sea

Martini, Francesca; Neuer, Susanne; Hamill, Demetra; Robidart, Julie; Lomas, Michael W.

doi:10.1002/lno.10765

Cited by 29 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…temperate waters of higher latitudes where picoand nanophytoplankton bloom), as also observed in several studies [8,14,18,41]. It is important to note that our model estimates cell abundances, which are highly correlated with group-specific carbon biomass but not always with pigment concentrations because of photophysiological adaptations of picophytoplankton cells to the different environmental conditions found across oceanic fronts [8,41,[80][81][82][83].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Radiometric approach for the detection of picophytoplankton assemblages across oceanic fronts

Lange¹,

Werdell²,

Erickson³

et al. 2020

Opt. Express

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Cell abundances of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and autotrophic picoeukaryotes were estimated in surface waters using principal component analysis (PCA) of hyperspectral and multispectral remote-sensing reflectance data. This involved the development of models that employed multilinear correlations between cell abundances across the Atlantic Ocean and a combination of PCA scores and sea surface temperatures. The models retrieve high Prochlorococcus abundances in the Equatorial Convergence Zone and show their numerical dominance in oceanic gyres, with decreases in Prochlorococcus abundances towards temperate waters where Synechococcus flourishes, and an emergence of picoeukaryotes in temperate waters. Fine-scale in-situ sampling across ocean fronts provided a large dynamic range of measurements for the training dataset, which resulted in the successful detection of fine-scale Synechococcus patches. Satellite implementation of the models showed good performance (R 2 > 0.50) when validated against in-situ data from six Atlantic Meridional Transect cruises. The improved relative performance of the hyperspectral models highlights the importance of future high spectral resolution satellite instruments, such as the NASA PACE mission's Ocean Color Instrument, to extend our spatiotemporal knowledge about ecologically relevant phytoplankton assemblages.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Radiometric approach for the detection of picophytoplankton assemblages across oceanic fronts

Lange¹,

Werdell²,

Erickson³

et al. 2020

Opt. Express

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“…At the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) site, located in the oligotrophic Northwestern Sargasso Sea, Synechococcus was overrepresented in sinking particles compared to the water column, while the opposite was observed for Prochlorococcus (Amacher et al, 2013), suggesting a differential contribution from these two picocyanobacteria to POC flux. The differential contribution of these two picocyanobacteria to POC flux was quantitatively confirmed by De Martini et al (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…The contribution of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus to POC export remains unsettled due to their slow sinking rates as a result of their small size and lack of natural ballasting minerals (Michaels and Silver, 1988). Research in the past decade have suggested the importance of picophytoplankton (<2 μm), including picocyanobacteria, in carbon export, especially in oligotrophic ocean regions (Richardson and Jackson, 2007; Brew et al, 2009; Lomas and Moran, 2011; Amacher et al, 2013; Guidi et al, 2016; De Martini et al, 2018). At the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) site, located in the oligotrophic Northwestern Sargasso Sea, Synechococcus was overrepresented in sinking particles compared to the water column, while the opposite was observed for Prochlorococcus (Amacher et al, 2013), suggesting a differential contribution from these two picocyanobacteria to POC flux.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterotrophic Bacteria Enhance the Aggregation of the Marine Picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus

Cruz

Neuer

2019

Front. Microbiol.

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Marine picocyanobacteria are ubiquitous primary producers across the world’s oceans, and play a key role in the global carbon cycle. Recent evidence stemming from in situ investigations have shown that picocyanobacteria are able to sink out of the euphotic zone to depth, which has traditionally been associated with larger, mineral ballasted cells. The mechanisms behind the sinking of picocyanobacteria remain a point of contention, given that they are too small to sink on their own. To gain a mechanistic understanding of the potential role of picocyanobacteria in carbon export, we tested their ability to form “suspended” (5–60 μm) and “visible” (ca. > 0.1 mm) aggregates, as well as their production of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP)—which are a key component in the formation of marine aggregates. Additionally, we investigated if interactions with heterotrophic bacteria play a role in TEP production and aggregation in Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus by comparing xenic and axenic cultures. We observed TEP production and aggregation in batch cultures of axenic Synechococcus , but not in axenic Prochlorococcus . Heterotrophic bacteria enhanced TEP production as well as suspended and visible aggregate formation in Prochlorococcus , while in Synechococcus , aggregation was enhanced with no changes in TEP. Aggregation experiments using a natural plankton community dominated by picocyanobacteria resulted in aggregation only in the presence of the ballasting mineral kaolinite, and only when Synechococcus were in their highest seasonal abundance. Our results point to a different export potential between the two picocyanobacteria, which may be mediated by interactions with heterotrophic bacteria and presence of ballasting minerals. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanistic role of bacteria in TEP production and aggregation of these picocyanobacteria.

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“…Because picophytoplankton are too small to sink independently or to be grazed by fecal pellet-producing zooplankton, most of their carbon export is limited in the microbial cycle via the processes of protist grazing and virus lysis (Michaels and Silver 1988;Karl 2007;Jiao et al 2010). While there were some studies indicated that picophytoplankton cells could directly incorporate into sinking aggregates to the deep ocean, their contribution were less than 10% of total particulate carbon flux (Richardson and Jackson 2007;Stukel et al 2013;De Martini et al 2018). Most organic carbon produced by picophytoplankton might be utilized and recycled in the microbial loop in the euphotic zone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attribution of the growth of a distinct population of Synechococcus to the coverage of lateral water on an upwelling

Chung¹,

Gong²

2019

Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci.

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Upwelling water generally transports abundant nutrients to fertilize the euphotic zone and promotes larger phytoplankton to thrive. In contrast, knowledge about the composition of prokaryotic picoplankton associated with the scale of upwelling is limited. In this study, the population compositions of prokaryotic picoplankton, with particular focus on Synechococcus, under two diverse hydrographic conditions in the shelf-margin upwelling system were compared in detail. During the study period of 2009, an upwelling event was observed. In contrast to conventional upwelled water, the surface of this upwelling was covered with a thin layer of nutrient-depleted water. Although the water exchange created a low-nutrient stock environment, which fell below traditional chemical detection limits, its flux was likely sufficient to support the growth of the Synechococcus clade-II lineage. In comparison with the hydrography in 2009, no obvious upwelling occurred, and oligotrophic water primarily occupied the upper layer during the study period of 2010. The abundance of Synechococcus significantly declined to approximately half its numbers observed in 2009. While the Synechococcus clade-II were still the predominant population, their proportion in the 16S rRNA gene library decreased to approximately 50%. The remaining part was replaced with α-Proteobacteria and various heterotrophic bacteria. The results of the present study, combined with those obtained in previous studies, yield a more comprehensive understanding of the phytoplankton community dynamics in this varied ecosystem.

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Clade and strain specific contributions of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus to carbon export in the Sargasso Sea

Cited by 29 publications

References 56 publications

Radiometric approach for the detection of picophytoplankton assemblages across oceanic fronts

Radiometric approach for the detection of picophytoplankton assemblages across oceanic fronts

Heterotrophic Bacteria Enhance the Aggregation of the Marine Picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus

Attribution of the growth of a distinct population of Synechococcus to the coverage of lateral water on an upwelling

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