Prokaryotic picoplankton spatial distribution during summer in a haline front in the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Mena, Catalina; Reglero, Patricia; Ferriol, Pere; Torres, Asvin P.; Aparicio‐González, Alberto; Balbín, Rosa; Santiago, Rocío; Moyà, G.; Alemany, F.; Agawin, Nona S. R.

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2825-4

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…In agreement with results from previous studies from the south-west Mediterranean basin, the vertical abundance patterns of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus seems to be also influenced by the different sensitivity to light stress (Mella-Flores et al, 2012). Furthermore, the low abundance of Prochlorococcus at surface coincides with the reported scarcity of high-light (HL) adapted populations in the southern Mediterranean (Mella-Flores et al, 2011; Mena et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Phytoplankton Community Structure Is Driven by Stratification in the Oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2019

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The phytoplankton community composition, structure, and biomass were investigated under stratified and oligotrophic conditions during summer for three consecutive years in the Mediterranean Sea. Our results reveal that the phytoplankton community structure was strongly influenced by vertical stratification. The thermocline separated two different phytoplankton communities in the two layers of the euphotic zone, characterized by different nutrient and light availability. Picoplankton dominated in terms of abundance and biomass at all the stations sampled and throughout the photic zone. However, the structure of the picoplanktonic community changed with depth, with Synechococcus and heterotrophic prokaryotes dominating in surface waters down to the base of the thermocline, and Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes contributing relatively more to the community in the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). Light and nutrient availability also influenced the communities at the DCM layer. Prochlorococcus prevailed in deeper DCM waters characterized by lower light intensities and higher picophytoplankton abundance was related to lower nutrient concentrations at the DCM. Picoeukaryotes were the major phytoplankton contributors to carbon biomass at surface (up to 80%) and at DCM (more than 40%). Besides, contrarily to the other phytoplankton groups, picoeukaryotes cell size progressively decreased with depth. Our research shows that stratification is a major factor determining the phytoplankton community structure; and underlines the role that picoeukaryotes might play in the carbon flux through the marine food web, with implications for the community metabolism and carbon fate in the ecosystem.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Phytoplankton Community Structure Is Driven by Stratification in the Oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2019

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“…Hence, while the taxonomic validity and particularly the morphological generic classification of marine "Synechococcus" was problematic, this name was widely used in the descriptions of almost all marine picocyanobacteria (Lindell et al 1999;Yin & Henley 1999;Castenholz 2001;Herrero & Flores 2008). However, the ecophysiological and genetic markers of "marine Synechococcus" were described also by many other authors Partensky et al 1999;Rocap et al 1999;Palenik et al 2003;Rabouille et al 2007;Zwirglmaier et al 2008;Martiny et al 2009;Mena et al 2016), who also support the separation of these types from the typical Synechococcus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Various other features are outside the main scope of this paper, such as the presence of different type of carboxyzomes than in the other cyanobacteria, different metabolism of amino acids, different membrane ion channels, different ATP synthase etc. (Chisholm et al 1992;Dufresne et al 2003;Zhang & Bryant 2011;Yu et al 2012;Mena et al 2016). Several morphologically similar and taxonomically validly described picocyanobacteria from both marine and freshwater habitats, which were earlier included by Komárek & Anagnostidis (1998) into to genus Cyanobium (Cyanobium waterburyi, C. oceanicum, C. bacillare, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The oceanic members of Parasynechococcus (Synechococcus marinus) and Prochlorococcus are very abundant small coccoid cyanobacteria, both in numbers of individual cells and amount of biomass in planktic communities (Partensky et al 1999;Palenik et al 2003;Six et al 2007;Flombaum et al 2013;Dvořák et al 2014aDvořák et al , 2017. Several of these populations have already been described in detail by numerous authors, particularly their metabolic and ecophysiological functions (Rabouille et al 2007;Hess 2008;Swingley et al 2008;Wiethaus et al 2010;Bragg 2011;Hughes et al 2011;Mazard et al 2012;Scanlan 2012;Ward et al 2012;Dvořák et al 2014a, Mena et al 2016 as well as their genomic characteristics (Coutinho et al 2016a,b;Dvořák 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phylogeny and taxonomy of Synechococcus-like cyanobacteria

Komárek¹,

Johansen²,

Šmarda³

et al. 2020

Fottea

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Unicellular cyanobacteria constitute a substantial, ecologically important part of freshwater and marine microflora. Solitary, elongated cyanobacterial cells without apparent slime envelopes and dividing in a single plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis were traditionally classified into the genus Synechococcus. The type species originates from a freshwater benthic habitat while a number of other Synechococcus-like species were described from diverse environments. Morphologically similar, unicellular populations of "Synechococcus" belong to the most abundant oxygen evolving prokaryotes inhabiting freshwater and oceanic picoplanktic communities. Other species from extreme thermal habitats were described from temperatures over 70 °C. Recent molecular analyses, particularly the 16S rRNA gene and other multi-locus gene based phylogenies of Synechococcus-like species reveal the polyphyly and phylogenetic diversity of such simple cyanobacteria emphasizing the necessity of their accurate polyphasic taxonomic re-classification. To better understand the phylogeny of different Synechococcus-like species, we constructed a genome-derived phylogenetic tree using 133 cyanobacterial and eubacterial genomes as well as a 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic tree. Both trees indicate existence of deep splits between individual Synechococcus lineages corresponding with indistinct ecological and cytomorphological differences. The generic units derived from the traditional concept of the genus Synechococcus based on the combined traits and markers must be defined and validly described. The comparative taxonomic classification of phylogenetic clusters corresponding to various morphotypes and genotypes similar to the genus Synechococcus (Cyanobium, Parasynechococcus, Picosynechococcus, Prochlorococcus, Thermosynechococcus, Thermostichus) are discussed in the article.

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“…While these past campaigns focused mainly on physical processes, recent progress in biogeochemical sensors now makes the study of physical-biological coupling easier, including in moderately energetic and oligotrophic areas. During the BLUE-FIN-13 cruise, Mena et al (2016) studied the picophytoplankton distribution in a haline front formation area in the Balearic Sea. More recently, the OS-CAHR cruise in the Ligurian Sea was specially designed to combine high-resolution measurements of both physical and biological variables .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of moderately energetic fine-scale dynamics on the phytoplankton community structure in the western Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2021

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Abstract. Model simulations and remote sensing observations show that ocean dynamics at fine scales (1–100 km in space, day–weeks in time) strongly influence the distribution of phytoplankton. However, only a few in situ-based studies at fine scales have been performed, and most of them concern western boundary currents which may not be representative of less energetic regions. The PROTEVSMED-SWOT cruise took place in the moderately energetic waters of the western Mediterranean Sea (WMS), in the region south of the Balearic Islands. Taking advantage of near-real-time satellite information, we defined a sampling strategy in order to cross a frontal zone separating different water masses. Multi-parametric in situ sensors mounted on the research vessel, on a towed vehicle and on an ocean glider were used to sample physical and biogeochemical variables at a high spatial resolution. Particular attention was given to adapting the sampling route in order to estimate the vertical velocities in the frontal area also. This strategy was successful in sampling quasi-synoptically an oceanic area characterized by the presence of a narrow front with an associated vertical circulation. A multiparametric statistical analysis of the collected data identifies two water masses characterized by different abundances of several phytoplankton cytometric functional groups, as well as different concentrations of chlorophyll a and O2. Here, we focus on moderately energetic fronts induced by fine-scale circulation. Moreover, we explore physical–biological coupling in an oligotrophic region. Our results show that the fronts induced by the fine-scale circulation, even if weaker than the fronts occurring in energetic and nutrient-rich boundary current systems, maintain nevertheless a strong structuring effect on the phytoplankton community by segregating different groups at the surface. Since oligotrophic and moderately energetic regions are representative of a very large part of the world ocean, our results may have global significance when extrapolated.

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Prokaryotic picoplankton spatial distribution during summer in a haline front in the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Cited by 9 publications

References 58 publications

Phytoplankton Community Structure Is Driven by Stratification in the Oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea

Phytoplankton Community Structure Is Driven by Stratification in the Oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea

Phylogeny and taxonomy of Synechococcus-like cyanobacteria

Impact of moderately energetic fine-scale dynamics on the phytoplankton community structure in the western Mediterranean Sea

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