Biogeographic variations of picophytoplankton in three contrasting seas: the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea and Western Pacific Ocean

Wei, Yuqiu; Huang, Dongyang; Zhang, Guicheng; Zhao, Yuying; Sun, Jun

doi:10.3354/ame01928

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In accordance with our finding, studies reveal that Synechococcus accumulated higher than Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes in tropical and equatorial ocean from surface waters down to the base of thermocline (Partensky et al, 1999a;Mena et al, 2019;Pan et al, 2007). Contrastingly, some studies found Prochlorococcus to be more abundant than Synechococcus in the North Atlantic, South Pacific, North Indian basins (Buitenhuis et al, 2012), the subtropical and tropical ocean (Agusti et al, 2019;Chen et al, 2009), including south China Sea (Jiang & Sun, 2020;Wei et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Our results showed that Synechococcus are the most successful group among the picophytoplankton in Pahang coastal waters (Station 1a, 2b, Figure 4) where we would expect an influence of the nutrient derived from the riverine and the aquaculture area output to this area, as indicated in Shaari et al (2013). Nevertheless, several studies could not find a clear relationship between nutrient concentration and cell abundance of picophytoplankton (Flombaum et al, 2013;Guo et al, 2014;Mouriño-Carballido et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Environmental conditions in the study area are generally associated with the monsoonal systems which have a great influence on the physical, chemical, and biological processes of the water column (Liu et al, 2002;Liu & Chai 2009;Powley et al, 2017;Wei et al, 2020). The results of this study clearly reveal the typical oligotrophic conditions with low concentrations of total Chlorophyll (TChl) dominated the surface water of the study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Particularly during the southwest monsoon (SWM), strong vertical stratification due to sea surface heating and weak wind could result in nutrient limitation and low phytoplankton productivity (Zainol & Akhir, 2016;Akhir et al, 2014;Yanagi et al, 2001). High TChl levels along the coast especially at station very close to river mouths (e.g., station 3a) could be attributed to significant freshwater discharge that cause nutrient enrichment in coastal waters (Powley et al, 2017;Wei et al, 2020). The present study showed that picophytoplankton was represented by Synechococcus, followed by picoeukaryotes and Prochlorococcus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The global model considering interactions between environmental variables predicted a population decline at the surface water with warming (Agusti et al, 2019), indicating that increased surface stratification, higher underwater PAR and Ultraviolet (UVB) penetration should inhibit the surface populations of picophytoplankton in the water column. According to Agusti et al (2019) and Wei et al (2020), Prochlorococcus are more sensitive to light intensity and better adapted to absorb blue wavelengths that predominate deeper in the water column. Unfortunately, the abundance of Prochlorococcus ecotypes has not been assessed during this study to validate this.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Distribution of Picophytoplankton in Southeastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Using Flow Cytometry

Amin¹,

Idris²,

Mudiman³

et al. 2021

JST

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The distribution of picocyanobacteria from two genera, Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, and picoeukaryotes in surface water (0.5 m) was investigated by flow cytometry in the southeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia during the Southwest monsoon in August 2014. During the cruise, Synechococcus cells were predominant throughout the study area, contributing as much as 50% to the total picophytoplankton population, whereas picoeukaryotes and Prochlorococcus constituted only 31% and 19% of the population, respectively. Spatially, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes were more dominant in coastal waters, while Prochlorococcus appeared to be more highly abundant in offshore waters. Furthermore, the percentage contribution of each population to total picophytoplankton also exhibited different spatial distribution patterns along a coastal-offshore gradient. The percentage contribution of Synechococcus was spatially constant throughout the study area, while the fraction contributed by picoeukaryotes showed a reduced contribution from coastal to offshore waters. In contrast, Prochlorococcus exhibited an increased proportion to total picophytoplankton across a coastal-offshore gradient, suggesting the increasing importance of this population in offshore waters of the study area. As revealed by Canonical Correlation Analysis, the abundance of Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes increased significantly with reducing dissolved oxygen levels and pH, and with increasing total chlorophyll. In contrast, temperature was the only factor influencing the abundance of Prochlorococcus significantly increased with decreasing water temperature in the study area. Overall, results of the present study provide valuable information on the role of regional environmental factors in the distribution and dominance of picophytoplankton communities that are not only critical for the ocean productivity but also the impact on the carbon cycle in the study area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spatial Distribution of Picophytoplankton in Southeastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Using Flow Cytometry

Amin¹,

Idris²,

Mudiman³

et al. 2021

JST

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Latitudinal and meridional patterns of picophytoplankton variability are contrastingly associated with Ekman pumping and the warm pool in the tropical western Pacific

Wang,

Zhao,

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Marine picophytoplankton plays a major role in marine cycling and energy conversion, and its effects on the carbon cycle and global climate change have been well documented. In this study, we investigated the response of picophytoplankton across a broad range of physicochemical conditions in two distinct regions of the tropical western Pacific. Our analysis considered the abundance, carbon biomass, size fraction, distribution, and regulatory factors of the picophytoplankton community, which included the cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, and small eukaryotic phytoplankton (picoeukaryotes). The first region was a latitudinal transect along the equator (142–163° E, 0° N), characterized by stratified oligotrophic conditions. The second region was a meridional transect (143° E, 0–22° N) known for its high‐nutrient and low‐chlorophyll (HNLC) conditions. Results showed that picophytoplankton contributed >80% of the chlorophyll a (Chl a), and was mainly distributed above 100 m. Prochlorococcus was the dominant organism in terms of cell abundance and estimated carbon biomass in both latitudinal and meridional transects, followed by Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes. In the warm pool, Prochlorococcus was primarily distributed below the isothermal layer, with the maximum subsurface abundance forming below it. The maximum Synechococcus abundance was restricted to the west‐warm pool, due to the high temperature, and the second‐highest Synechococcus abundance was associated with frontal interaction between the east‐warm pool and the westward advance of Middle East Pacific water. In contrast, picoeukaryotes formed a maximum subsurface abundance corresponding to the subsurface Chl a maximum. In the mixed HNLC waters, the cell abundance and biomass of the three picophytoplankton groups were slightly lower than those in the warm pool. Due to a cyclonic eddy, the contours of the maximum subsurface Prochlorococcus abundance were uplifted, evidently with a lower value than the surrounding water. Synechococcus abundance varied greatly in patches, forming a weakly high subsurface peak when the isothermal layer rose to the near‐surface (<50 m). The subsurface maximum picoeukaryote abundance was also highly consistent with that of the subsurface Chl a maximum. Correlation analysis and generalized additive models of environmental factors showed that nutrient availability had a two‐faceted role in regulating the spatial patterns of picophytoplankton in diverse latitudinal and meridional environments. We concluded through regression that temperature and light irradiance were the key determinants of picophytoplankton variability in the tropical western Pacific. This study provides insights into the changing picophytoplankton community structure with potential future changing hydroclimatic force.

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Synechococcus silicon accumulation in oligotrophic oceans

Wei

Sun

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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Si accumulation by Synechococcus, small unicellular marine picocyanobacteria that dominate in nutrientdepleted waters, is significant due to its potential to alter our understanding of the global Si cycle. To date, however, there are only a few studies on Si accumulation in individual Synechococcus cells. To determine the magnitude and variability of Synechococcus cellular Si content in oligotrophic oceans, we analyzed 1348 discrete cells collected from the understudied eastern Indian Ocean (EIO) and western Pacific Ocean (WPO). Synechococcus cellular Si quotas varied widely across both regions, ranging from 0 to 4651 amol Si cell À1 . While highly variable in range, average Si quotas were $ 2.5-fold lower in Synechococcus cells from the EIO (172 AE 304 amol Si cell À1 ) than in those from the WPO (438 AE 737 amol Si cell À1 ). The estimated contributions of Synechococcus to total and picoplankton biogenic Si stocks were < 1-8% and 1-11%, respectively, suggesting that Synechococcus has a small but persistent regional contribution to biogenic Si stocks. Here, we also made a first-order estimate of the Synechococcus biogenic Si stock for the global ocean, that is, 0.06-0.09 Tmol Si, accounting for 2-3% of the global ocean diatom Si stock. No significant effects of temperature and dissolved inorganic N and P on cellular Si quotas were observed within these oligotrophic ecosystems. However, salinity, ambient dissolved Si, and N/P ratio were closely correlated with the variable Si quotas with different relationships. In addition, Synechococcus cellular Si/P and Si/S ratios associated with physiological processes were significantly influenced by environmental and geographic variables. We thus suggest that the variance in cellular Si quotas may be indirectly driven by ambient variables via some unknown independent or strain-dependent physiological processes.

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Biogeographic variations of picophytoplankton in three contrasting seas: the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea and Western Pacific Ocean

Cited by 27 publications

References 49 publications

Spatial Distribution of Picophytoplankton in Southeastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Using Flow Cytometry

Spatial Distribution of Picophytoplankton in Southeastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Using Flow Cytometry

Latitudinal and meridional patterns of picophytoplankton variability are contrastingly associated with Ekman pumping and the warm pool in the tropical western Pacific

Synechococcus silicon accumulation in oligotrophic oceans

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