Biogeosciences
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5
2007
10.5194/bg-4-837-2007
http://www.biogeosciences.net/4/837/2007/
http://www.biogeosciences.net/4/837/2007/bg-4-837-2007.html
http://www.biogeosciences.net/4/837/2007/bg-4-837-2007.pdf
837
852
2007-10-15
Contribution of picoplankton to the total particulate organic carbon concentration in the eastern South Pacific
C. Grob
mgrob@profc.udec.cl
O. Ulloa
H. Claustre
Y. Huot
G. Alarcón
D. Marie
Graduate Programme in Oceanography, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Department of Oceanography and Center for Oceanographic Research in the eastern South Pacific, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
CNRS, Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Station Biologique, CNRS, INSU et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 29482 Roscoff Ceder, France
<I>Prochlorococcus</i>, <I>Synechococcus</I>, picophytoeukaryotes and bacterioplankton abundances and contributions to
the total particulate organic carbon concentration, derived from the total
particle beam attenuation coefficient (<I>c</I><sub>p</sub>), were determined across the
eastern South Pacific between the Marquesas Islands and the coast of Chile.
All flow cytometrically derived abundances decreased towards the
hyper-oligotrophic centre of the gyre and were highest at the coast, except
for <I>Prochlorococcus</I>, which was not detected under eutrophic conditions. Temperature and
nutrient availability appeared important in modulating picophytoplankton
abundance, according to the prevailing trophic conditions. Although the
non-vegetal particles tended to dominate the <I>c</I><sub>p</sub> signal everywhere along
the transect (50 to 83%), this dominance seemed to weaken from oligo- to
eutrophic conditions, the contributions by vegetal and non-vegetal particles
being about equal under mature upwelling conditions. Spatial variability in
the vegetal compartment was more important than the non-vegetal one in
shaping the water column particle beam attenuation coefficient. Spatial
variability in picophytoplankton biomass could be traced by changes in both
total chlorophyll <I>a</I> (i.e. mono + divinyl chlorophyll <I>a</I>) concentration and
<I>c</I><sub>p</sub>. Finally, picophytoeukaryotes contributed ~38% on average to
the total integrated phytoplankton carbon biomass or vegetal attenuation
signal along the transect, as determined by size measurements (i.e.
equivalent spherical diameter) on cells sorted by flow cytometry and optical
theory. Although there are some uncertainties associated with these
estimates, the new approach used in this work further supports the idea that
picophytoeukaryotes play a dominant role in carbon cycling in the upper open
ocean, even under hyper-oligotrophic conditions.
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