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Publication
Nutrient-specific responses of a phytoplankton community: a case study of the North Atlantic Gyre, Azores
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Nutrient concentrations are unevenly distributed in the oceans, influencing the abundance and composition of
phytoplankton communities. Even so, the dominant driving factors responsible for variability between phytoplank ton communities are still unclear. In the North Atlantic Gyre, the Azores present a good opportunity to study
phytoplankton communities of oligotrophic areas that experience nutrient pulses. We followed the development of
an enclosed natural phytoplankton community occurring off the coast of Terceira (Azores) and tested the effects of
single (nitrate, phosphate, silicate and a mix of the trace metals Fe, Co, Cu, Mo, Zn and Mn) and combined nutri ent enrichments on phytoplankton abundance, particulate organic matter (POM) build-up, nutrient drawdown and
community composition. Towards the end of the microcosm-based incubation, biomass developed dramatically
(430-fold) when all the nutrients considered were added simultaneously. Importantly, the community composition at
the end of the incubation was dependent on the combination of nutrients supplied, with diatoms dominating most
of the treatments; coccolithophores under Phosphate + Trace Metals; and organisms with characteristics of a nitro gen fixer such as low δ15N under full nutrient enrichment. These results indicate group-specific nutrient require ments and limitations occurring near the Azores with a few taxa dominating the groups’ response to nutrient pulse
Description
Keywords
Nutrients Phytoplankton Community composition Oligotrophic North Atlantic . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida
Citation
Ramos, J. B., Schulz, K. G., Voss, M., Narciso, Á., Müller, M. N., Reis, F. V., ... & Azevedo, E. B. (2017). Nutrient-specific responses of a phytoplankton community: a case study of the North Atlantic Gyre, Azores. Journal of Plankton Research, 39(4), 744-761. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbx025
Publisher
Oxford University Press