No abstract

In studies on the biochemical compounds in phytoplankton, water samples generally are (pre-) filtered to retain the organisms for extraction. Such filters can be used for further investigations in microscopic or chromatographic (for example HighPerformance-Liquid-Chromatography, HPLC) methods, while the filtrates can be used for nutrient or fluorometric measurements as well as for microscopic examinations. Which filter is chosen for a study often depends on its pore size, the costs and, in particular for HPLC measurements, on its chemical compatibility. In our study we compared the chlorophyll-a retention on the filters by HPLC as well as the fluorescence before and after filtration, and nutrient content of the filtrates. The filters we tested were of different material and with various pore sizes. Although Whatman GF/C and GF/F filters are preferred in phytoplankton studies, we found that the Nylon Membrane filter of 0.2 μm pore size provided the most consistent results in chlorophyll-a retention and the one of 0.45 μm pore size in nutrient investigations.

No abstract

The Helgoland Roads phytoplankton long-term data set is one of the longest and the most detailed data sets in Europe, having provided continuous work-daily observations of phytoplankton abundance since 1962. These high frequency counts have undergone and are continuously subject to a high level of quality control. The Helgoland data set thus is useful in the evaluation of new records in phyto-and zooplankton. Here, we report the Wrst appearance of the relatively recently described diatom Mediopyxis helysia in the Helgoland Roads counts. This species was Wrst detected in Helgoland samples in March 2009. Importantly, it has rapidly become a prominent member of the Helgoland phytoplankton community. While in 2009 it only produced a moderate spring peak of 4,000 cells l ¡1, it was one of the dominant diatoms in the 2010 spring bloom with Mediopyxis reaching cell densities above 300,000 cells l ¡1 and total chlorophyll concentrations exceeding 40 g l ¡1 . In 2010, this species was repeatedly present throughout the year. There was no clear relationship between temperature and cell abundance with all Mediopyxis cells occurring at temperatures between 3 and 12°C. However, the extensive peak in 2010 was associated with a sudden drop in salinity, which could indicate that this bloom might have been the result of inXow of low salinity water into the area. This was supported by a laboratory growth experiment in which a clonal culture of M. helysia grew fastest at a salinity of 27 and slowest at a salinity of 31.5. Further long-term observations will be required to establish whether this species will become a regular feature at Helgoland and how this might aVect the local food web.