Size Fractionation of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Surface Waters of the Western Indian Ocean1

Mullin, Michael M.

doi:10.4319/lo.1965.10.3.0459

Cited by 39 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…[31] Large (>53 mm) rapidly sinking particles are thought to be relatively rare within the water column [McCave, 1975], with estimates of fast sinking particle concentrations in the Indian Ocean and Panama Basin contributing 3-15% to total POC [Mullin, 1965;Bishop et al, 1980]. Alonso-González et al [2010] suggest fast sinking particles alone supply the abyssal POC flux due to their rapid transit time through the water column.…”

Section: Fluxes Of Poc To the Deep Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relative contribution of fast and slow sinking particles to ocean carbon export

Riley

Sanders

Marsay

et al. 2012

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

181

242

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[1] Particulate organic carbon (POC) generated by primary production and exported to depth, is an important pathway for carbon transfer to the abyss, where it is stored over climatically significant timescales. These processes constitute the biological carbon pump. A spectrum of particulate sinking velocities exists throughout the water column, however numerical models often simplify this spectrum into suspended, fast and slow sinking particles. Observational studies suggest the spectrum of sinking speeds in the ocean is strongly bimodal with >85% POC flux contained within two pools with sinking speeds of <10 m day À1 and >350 m day À1 . We deployed a Marine Snow Catcher (MSC) to estimate the magnitudes of the suspended, fast and slow sinking pools and their fluxes at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain site (48 N, 16.5 W) in summer 2009. The POC concentrations and fluxes determined were 0.2 mg C L À1 and 54 mg C m À2 day À1 for fast sinking particles, 5 mg C L À1 and 92 mg C m À2 day À1 for slow sinking particles and 97 mg C L À1 for suspended particles. Our flux estimates were comparable with radiochemical tracer methods and neutrally buoyant sediment traps. Our observations imply: (1) biomineralising protists, on occasion, act as nucleation points for aggregate formation and accelerate particle sinking; (2) fast sinking particles alone were sufficient to explain the abyssal POC flux; and (3) there is no evidence for ballasting of the slow sinking flux and the slow sinking particles were probably entirely remineralised in the twilight zone.

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Section: Fluxes Of Poc To the Deep Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relative contribution of fast and slow sinking particles to ocean carbon export

Riley

Sanders

Marsay

et al. 2012

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

181

242

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“…The implications of such results on food chain studies have been discussed in the literature (Mullin, 1965;Jorgensen, 1966;Odum, 1968;Lenz, 1972;Poulet, 1973Poulet, , 1974Parsons & Le Brasseur, 1970;Richman, Heinle & Huff, 1977) • Generally, the correlations factor between POC concentration and the numerical abundance ofthe organic groups in each of the size classes studied, were low and non significant for both stations. The lack of correlation of POC with number of cells and particles in marine environments, havebeen pointed out by Gordon (1970b) and Zeitzschel (1970) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The present results agree with many reports on the numerical dominance of the smallest size particles over the largest ones in marine environments (Teixeira, 1963;Hobson, 1967;Beers & Stewart, 1969;Gordon, 1970a;Malone, 1971;Zeitzschel, 1970;Lenz, 1972;Beers, Reid & Stewart, 1975). Mullin (1965) has shown the preponderance of smallest size POC in surface waters of the Indian Oceano The results of Gordon (1970b), on POC size classes in the North Atlantic Ocean were inconclusive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Numerical contribution of phytoplanktonic cells, heterotrophic particles and bacteria to size fractionated POC in the Cananéia estuary (25ºS 48ºW), Brazil

Mesquita

Peres

1985

Bol. Inst. Oceanogr.

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“…Indeed, many larger and thin filamentous organisms passed through small filters (<5 µm) not on the basis of their length dimension, but for instance according to their elongated shapes and their narrow width. Moreover, cell or colony breakage during the filtration process may result in another source of error, with a certain portion of large particles passing through small filters and account in small size classes organisms [60]. Although size fractionation techniques are frequently used in phytoplankton research [34,[61][62][63][64][65][66], the accuracy and validity of portioning phytoplankton assemblages through filtration still remain debated [67].…”

Section: Phytoplankton Size-fractionated Composition and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Morpho-Functional Traits Reveal Differences in Size Fractionated Phytoplankton Communities but Do Not Significantly Affect Zooplankton Grazing

2022

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The recent emergence of approaches based on functional traits allows a more comprehensive evaluation of the role of functions and interactions within communities. As phytoplankton size and shape are the major determinants of its edibility to herbivores, alteration or loss of some morpho-functional phytoplankton traits should affect zooplankton grazing, fitness and population dynamics. Here, we investigated the response of altered phytoplankton morpho-functional trait distribution to grazing by zooplankton with contrasting food size preferences and feeding behaviors. To test this, we performed feeding trials in laboratory microcosms with size-fractionated freshwater phytoplankton (3 size classes, >30 µm; 5–30 µm and <5 µm) and two different consumer types: the cladoceran Daphnia longispina, (generalist unselective filter feeder) and the calanoid copepod Eudiaptomus sp. (selective feeder). We observed no significant changes in traits and composition between the controls and grazed phytoplankton communities. However, community composition and structure varied widely between the small and large size fractions, demonstrating the key role of size in structuring natural phytoplankton communities. Our findings also highlight the necessity to combine taxonomy and trait-based morpho-functional approaches when studying ecological dynamics in phytoplankton-zooplankton interactions.

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Size Fractionation of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Surface Waters of the Western Indian Ocean1

Cited by 39 publications

References 5 publications

The relative contribution of fast and slow sinking particles to ocean carbon export

The relative contribution of fast and slow sinking particles to ocean carbon export

Numerical contribution of phytoplanktonic cells, heterotrophic particles and bacteria to size fractionated POC in the Cananéia estuary (25ºS 48ºW), Brazil

Morpho-Functional Traits Reveal Differences in Size Fractionated Phytoplankton Communities but Do Not Significantly Affect Zooplankton Grazing

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