SUMMARY: The annual cycle of plankton was studied over 14 years from 1984 to 2000 at a coastal station in the Gulf of Naples, with the aim of assessing seasonal patterns and interannual trends. Phytoplankton biomass started increasing over the water column in February-early March, and generally achieved peak values in the upper layers in late spring. Another peak was often recorded in autumn. Diatoms and phytoflagellates dominated for the largest part of the year. Ciliates showed their main peaks in phase with phytoplankton and were mainly represented by small (< 30 µm) naked choreotrichs. Mesozooplankton increased in March-April, reaching maximum concentrations in summer. Copepods were always the most abundant group, followed by cladocerans in summer. At the interannual scale, a high variability and a decreasing trend were recorded over the sampling period for autotrophic biomass. Mesozooplankton biomass showed a less marked interannual variability. From 1995 onwards, phytoplankton populations increased in cell number but decreased in cell size, with intense blooms of small diatoms and undetermined coccoid species frequently observed in recent years. In spite of those interannual variations, the different phases of the annual cycle and the occurrence of several plankton species were remarkably regular.Key words: Mediterranean Sea, phytoplankton, ciliates, mesozooplankton, seasonal cycle, long term series. RESUMEN: PATRONES ESTACIONALES EN LAS COMUNIDADES PLANCTÓNICAS EN UNA SERIE TEMPORAL PLURIANUAL EN UNA LOCALIDAD COSTERA DEL MEDITERRÁNEO (GOLFO DE NÁPOLES): UN INTENTO DE DISCERNIR RECURRENCIAS Y TENDENCIAS.-El ciclo anual del plancton se estudió a lo largo de 14 años, desde 1984 a 2000, en una estación costera del golfo de Nápoles, con el objetivo de discernir pautas estacionales y tendencias interanuales. La biomasa fitoplanctónica empezaba a aumentar en la columna de agua en febrero-primeros de marzo, y generalmente alcanzaba valores máximos en las capas superiores a finales de primavera. Se solía registrar otro máximo en otoño. Las diatomeas y los fitoflagelados dominaron durante la mayor parte del año. Los ciliados presentaron sus máximos principales en fase con el fitoplancton y estuvieron representados principalmente por pequeños (< 30 µm) coreotricos desnudos. El mesozooplancton aumentó en marzo-abril, llegando a concentraciones máximas en verano. Los copépodos fueron siempre el grupo más abundante, seguidos de los cladóceros en verano. A la escala interanual, la biomasa autotrófica registró una elevada variabilidad y una tendencia decreciente a lo largo del período de muestreo. La biomasa del mesozooplancton mostró una variabilidad interanual menos marcada. Desde 1995 en adelante, las poblaciones de fitoplancton aumentaron en número de células, pero el tamaño celular se redujo, y en años recientes se han observado floraciones intensas de diatomeas pequeñas y de especies cocoides no determinadas. A pesar de estas variaciones interanuales, las distintas fases del ciclo anual y la presencia de varias es...

Phytoplankton pigment diversity and photoacclimation during the natural day-night cycle was investigated at a fixed location in the Strait of Sicily in July 1997 using HPLC pigment analysis on fractionated samples (< 3 and > 3 µm) and flow cytometry. Picophytoplankton dominated phytoplankton biomass in terms of chl a with an average value of 57% and was mainly represented by prokaryotes, prymnesiophytes and pelagophytes. Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes contributed equally to the picophytoplankton in terms of chl a, but Prochlorococcus were numerically more abundant and were represented by 2 ecotypes, one replacing the other according to depth. Larger phytoplankton were dominated by prymnesiophytes and diatoms. Photoacclimation was evident from changes in pigment content and strongly increased with depth. The deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), present between 75 and 90 m, showed a diverse and rich phytoplankton community with the 2 size classes almost equally represented. Growth rates of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, estimated from cell cycle measurements, were 0.67 and 0.41 d -1 , respectively, at 75 m. Only Prochlorococcus was able to sustain a good growth rate of 0.43 d -1 at the base of the DCM (90 m) where only 0.5% of incident light was available. Light-shift experiments using onboard incubated natural seawater showed much faster kinetic coefficients for acclimation in picophytoplankton than in larger algae. In general, the data describe the dynamics of picophytoplankton and its light adaptation through the water column and in the DCM, and can be considered representative of stable summer conditions in the Mediterranean Sea.

Phytoplankton dynamics were investigated at the mesoscale in the northern part of the Strait of Sicily in July-August 1997 on fractionated samples (< 3 and > 3 μm) using HPLC pigment analysis and flow cytometry. Distribution, diversity and photoacclimation varied within the different water masses and features present at the time of sampling, including a surface filament of deep, cold water. Picophytoplankton (< 3 μm) accounted for 80% of total chlorophyll on average, and was numerically dominated by cyanobacteria of the genus Prochlorococcus, with an average concentration of 5.2 × 10 4 cells ml -1. The biomass and pigment diversity of picophytoplankton was higher in the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) and was related to hydrological and biological features, whereas larger phytoplankton (> 3 μm) appeared to respond to different cues. Chlorophyll pigment content per cell of Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp. or picoeukaryotes was estimated by coupling pigment data with flow cytometric counts. In Prochlorococcus spp., we found an average of 0.44 and 1.56 fg divinyl-chlorophyll a (dvchl a) cell -1 in surface and DCM layers, respectively. In contrast, chl a content in the picoeukaryote group ranged between 17 and 168 fg chl a cell -1 , depending upon depth and water mass, which suggested strong photoacclimation and photoadaptation with depth. The relative contribution of each eukaryote pigment to one size class or the other changed through the water column, and reflected size segregation within single taxonomic groups. KEY WORDS: Picophytoplankton · Biodiversity · Deep chlorophyll maximum · DCM · Pigments · HPLC · Flow cytometry · MesoscaleResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Aquat Microb Ecol 44: 127-141, 2006 Data from HPLC-pigment analysis were coupled to flow cytometry counts to obtain pigment content per cell, used as an indicator of light adaptation. Using this approach, we were able to separate and to assess the contribution of the picophytoplankton to total community composition, diversity and physiological state, mainly by examining the pigment content and variability per cell. So far, this approach has been used to better characterize the phytoplankton community in terms of chlorophyll or divinyl-chlorophyll (Brunet & Lizon 2003, Veldhuis & Kraay 2004, but very few studies have coupled pigment analysis and flow cytometry to describe picoeukaryotes in fractionated samples . Apart from providing insights into their taxonomic diversity as well as their photoacclimation properties, this approach can quantitatively complement information from molecular tools, which have recently revealed the high specific diversity of picoeukaryotes in several marine ecosystems (Moonvan der Staay et al. 2000, Díez et al. 2001, 2004.The study area chosen provided an ideal area to study the interaction of plankton biology with hydrodynamics, because it is a location of active mesoscale dynamics, with recurrent physical structures such as fronts, filaments and meanders (Le...

During the last few years theoretical works have shed new light and proposed new hypotheses on the mechanisms which regulate the spatio-temporal behaviour of phytoplankton communities in marine pelagic ecosystems. Despite this, relevant physical and biological issues, such as effects of the time-dependent mixing in the upper layer, competition between groups, and dynamics of non-stationary deep chlorophyll maxima, are still open questions. In this work, we analyze the spatio-temporal behaviour of five phytoplankton populations in a real marine ecosystem by using a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion-taxis model. The study is performed, taking into account the seasonal variations of environmental variables, such as light intensity, thickness of upper mixed layer and profiles of vertical turbulent diffusivity, obtained starting from experimental findings. Theoretical distributions of phytoplankton cell concentration was converted in chlorophyll concentration, and compared with the experimental profiles measured in a site of the Tyrrhenian Sea at four different times (seasons) of the year, during four different oceanographic cruises. As a result we find a good agreement between theoretical and experimental distributions of chlorophyll concentration. In particular, theoretical results reveal that the seasonal changes of environmental variables play a key role in the phytoplankton distribution and determine the properties of the deep chlorophyll maximum. This study could be extended to other marine ecosystems to predict future changes in the phytoplankton biomass due to global warming, in view of devising strategies to prevent the decline of the primary production and the consequent decrease of fish species.

In this study, we investigate the response of the phytoplankton community, with emphasis on ecophysiology and succession, after two experimental additions of Saharan dust in the surface water layer of a low-nutrient low-chlorophyll ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea. Three mesocosms were amended with evapocondensed dust to simulate realistic Saharan dust events, while three additional mesocosms were kept unamended and served as controls. The experiment consisted in two consecutive dust additions and samples were daily collected at different depths (−0.1, −5 and −10 m) during one week, starting before each addition occurred. Data concerning HPLC pigment analysis on two size classes (< 3 and > 3 μm), electron transport rate (ETR) vs. irradiance curves, non-photochemical fluorescence quenching (NPQ) and phytoplankton cell abundance (measured by flow cytometry), are presented and discussed in this paper. Results show that picophytoplankton mainly respond to the first dust addition, while the second addition leads to an increase of both pico- and nano-/microphytoplankton. Ecophysiological changes in the phytoplankton community occur, with NPQ and pigment concentration per cell increasing after dust additions. While biomass increases after pulses of new nutrients, ETR does not greatly vary between dust-amended and control conditions, in relation with ecophysiological changes within the phytoplankton community, such as the increase in NPQ and pigment cellular concentration. A quantitative assessment and parameterisation of the onset of a phytoplankton bloom in a nutrient-limited ecosystem is attempted on the basis of the increase in phytoplankton biomass observed during the experiment. The results of this study are discussed focusing on the adaptation of picophytoplankton to nutrient limitation in the surface water layer, as well as on size-dependent competition ability in phytoplankton