Biogeosciences
www.biogeosciences.net
1726-4170
1726-4189
6
12
2009
10.5194/bg-6-3081-2009
http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/3081/2009/
http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/3081/2009/bg-6-3081-2009.html
http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/3081/2009/bg-6-3081-2009.pdf
3081
3089
2009-12-17
Patterns in planktonic metabolism in the Mediterranean Sea
A. Regaudie-de-Gioux
R. Vaquer-Sunyer
C. M. Duarte
Department of Global Change Research, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Spain
Planktonic gross community production (GPP), net community production (NCP)
and community respiration (CR) across the Mediterranean Sea was examined in
two cruises, Thresholds 2006 and 2007, each crossing the
Mediterranean from West to East to test for consistent variation along this
longitudinal gradient in late spring to early summer. GPP averaged 2.4±0.4 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−3</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>, CR averaged 3.8±0.5 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−3</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>,
and NCP averaged – 0.8±0.6 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−3</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>
across the studied sections, indicative of a tendency for
a net heterotrophic metabolism in late spring to early summer, prevalent
across studied sections of the Mediterranean Sea as reflected in 70% of
negative NCP estimates. The median <i>P/R</i> ratio was 0.6, also indicating a
strong prevalence of heterotrophic communities (<i>P/R</i><1) along the studied
sections of the Mediterranean Sea. The communities tended to be net
heterotrophic (i.e. <i>P/R</i><1) at GPP less than 2.8 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−3</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>.
The Western Mediterranean tended to support a higher gross primary
production and community respiration than the Eastern basin did, but these
differences were not statistically significant (t-test, <i>p</i>>0.05). The net
heterotrophy of the studied sections of the Mediterranean Sea indicates that
allochthonous carbon should be important to subsidise planktonic metabolism
during the late spring.
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