Multidecadal (1959–1997) changes in Skeletonema abundance and seasonal bloom patterns in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA

Borkman, David G.; Smayda, Theodore J.

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2008.10.004

Cited by 80 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Narragansett Bay has seasonal blooms of diatoms that have been monitored through weekly cell counts for over 50 y at a long-term time-series station (41,42). Five eukaryotic surface metatranscriptome samples were taken from surface seawater collected during May and June of 2012 at the time-series site, yielding over 358 million 100-bp, paired-end cDNA reads from the field [sample 1 (S1)-S5] (SI Appendix, Table 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Alexander

Jenkins

Rynearson

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

160

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Diverse communities of marine phytoplankton carry out half of global primary production. The vast diversity of the phytoplankton has long perplexed ecologists because these organisms coexist in an isotropic environment while competing for the same basic resources (e.g., inorganic nutrients). Differential niche partitioning of resources is one hypothesis to explain this "paradox of the plankton," but it is difficult to quantify and track variation in phytoplankton metabolism in situ. Here, we use quantitative metatranscriptome analyses to examine pathways of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) metabolism in diatoms that cooccur regularly in an estuary on the east coast of the United States (Narragansett Bay). Expression of known N and P metabolic pathways varied between diatoms, indicating apparent differences in resource utilization capacity that may prevent direct competition. Nutrient amendment incubations skewed N/P ratios, elucidating nutrient-responsive patterns of expression and facilitating a quantitative comparison between diatoms. The resource-responsive (RR) gene sets deviated in composition from the metabolic profile of the organism, being enriched in genes associated with N and P metabolism. Expression of the RR gene set varied over time and differed significantly between diatoms, resulting in opposite transcriptional responses to the same environment. Apparent differences in metabolic capacity and the expression of that capacity in the environment suggest that diatom-specific resource partitioning was occurring in Narragansett Bay. This high-resolution approach highlights the molecular underpinnings of diatom resource utilization and how cooccurring diatoms adjust their cellular physiology to partition their niche space.phytoplankton | diatom | nutrient physiology | niche partitioning | metatranscriptomics T he stability and primary productivity of ecosystems have long been linked to the diversity of primary producers (1, 2). This linkage is well documented in terrestrial systems (3-7) and is increasingly being established for marine systems (8-11). Marine phytoplankton generate roughly half of global primary production (12-14) and play a critical role in oceanic ecosystem structure and function. Within the phytoplankton, the diatoms generate an estimated 40% of primary production (15). Thus, diatoms alone exert a profound influence over marine primary production and global carbon (C) cycling, particularly in coastal margins and estuaries.Phytoplankton are extremely diverse, with estimates of over 200,000 extant species (16,17). This dramatic level of taxonomic diversity in the plankton is difficult to resolve with the apparently limited number of niches in the pelagic habitat because these organisms compete for the same two basic resources: light and nutrients. As was highlighted by Hutchinson (18), the phytoplankton violate Gause's law of competitive exclusion, which posits that two organisms competing for the same resources cannot coexist. Much thought has gone toward identifying the cause of the "pa...

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Alexander

Jenkins

Rynearson

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

160

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…group seriata. are prominent members of the phytoplankton community in Scottish and other temperate coastal waters worldwide; and similar spring-summer/autumn successional patterns involving them have been documented before (Borkman and Smayda 2009;Bresnan et al 2009;Gowen, et al 2012b;Henriksen 2009;Smayda 1980). The nontoxic Pseudo-nitzschia spp.…”

Section: Seasonal Phytoplankton Distributionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Nitrogen dynamics and phytoplankton community structure: the role of organic nutrients

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is recognised as an important N source for phytoplankton. However, its relative importance for phytoplankton nutrition and community composition has not been studied comprehensively. This study, conducted in a typical Scottish fjord, representative of nearpristine coastal environments, evaluates the utilisation of DON and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) by different microbial size fractions and the relationship of phytoplankton community composition with DON and other parameters. The study demonstrated that DON was important in supporting phytoplankton throughout the yearly production cycle. The higherthan-expected urea uptake rates and large fraction of the spring bloom production supported by DON suggested that organic N not only contributes to regenerated production and to the nutrition of the small phytoplankton fraction, but can also contribute substantially to new production of the larger phytoplankton in coastal waters. Multivariate statistical techniques revealed two phytoplankton assemblages with peaks in abundance at different times of the year: a spring group dominated by Skeletonema spp., Thalassiosira spp., and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. group delicatissima; and a summer/autumn group dominated by Chaetoceros spp., Scrippsiella spp., and Pseudonitzschia spp. group seriata. The multivariate pattern in community composition and abundance of these taxa was significantly correlated with the multivariate pattern of DON, urea, dissolved free amino acids, DIN, temperature, salinity, and daylength, with daylength and urea being particularly important, suggesting both physical and chemical controls on community composition.

show abstract

“…3). As we extend observational records for periods longer than a decade, it is becoming increasingly evident that shifts in phytoplankton seasonal patterns are common in estuarine-coastal ecosystems (e.g., Wasmund et al 2008;Borkman and Smayda 2009). What attributes, then, allow regular seasonal patterns to persist in places like the Oosterschelde, Westerschelde, and North Inlet (Fig.…”

Section: Seasonal Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 94%

“…For example, a trend of declining phytoplankton abundance in the Gulf of Naples occurred during a period of increasing winter cloudiness and intensification of winds (Zingone et al 2009). Phytoplankton biomass declined in Narragansett Bay (Borkman and Smayda 2009) and nearby Massachusetts Bay (Keller et al 2001;Hunt et al 2009) after the North Atlantic Oscillation index shifted from negative to positive. The mechanism appears to be earlier winter warming and control of phytoplankton growth by copepods during the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation.…”

Section: Annual Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and Scales of Phytoplankton Variability in Estuarine–Coastal Ecosystems

Cloern

Jassby

2009

Estuaries and Coasts

298

174

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phytoplankton variability is a primary driver of chemical and biological dynamics in the coastal zone because it directly affects water quality, biogeochemical cycling of reactive elements, and food supply to consumer organisms. Much has been learned about patterns of phytoplankton variability within individual ecosystems, but patterns have not been compared across the diversity of ecosystem types where marine waters are influenced by connectivity to land. We extracted patterns from chlorophyll-a series measured at 84 estuarine-coastal sites, using a model that decomposes time series into an annual effect, mean seasonal pattern, and residual "events." Comparisons across sites revealed a large range of variability patterns, with some dominated by a recurrent seasonal pattern, others dominated by annual (i.e., year-to-year) variability as trends or regime shifts and others dominated by the residual component, which includes exceptional bloom events such as red tides. Why is the partitioning of phytoplankton variability at these three scales so diverse? We propose a hypothesis to guide next steps of comparative analysis: large year-to-year variability is a response to disturbance from human activities or shifts in the climate system; strong seasonal patterns develop where the governing processes are linked to the annual climate cycle; and large event-scale variability occurs at sites highly enriched with nutrients. Patterns of phytoplankton variability are therefore shaped by the site-specific relative importance of disturbance, annual climatology, and nutrient enrichment.

show abstract

Multidecadal (1959–1997) changes in Skeletonema abundance and seasonal bloom patterns in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA

Cited by 80 publications

References 90 publications

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Nitrogen dynamics and phytoplankton community structure: the role of organic nutrients

Patterns and Scales of Phytoplankton Variability in Estuarine–Coastal Ecosystems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About