Phytoplankton responses to nitrogen and iron limitation in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Plankton Research Année : 2015

Phytoplankton responses to nitrogen and iron limitation in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean

Qian Li
Louis Legendre
Nianzhi Jiao
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

Nitrogen and iron largely determine phytoplankton production in the ocean, yet there are few direct incubation studies on nutrient limitation of phytoplankton in the western tropical North Pacific Ocean. Here, we assessed the effects of N and Fe amendments on both photosynthesis and biomass of phytoplankton (including final chlorophyll a biomass and taxonomic composition) in that region. Overall, the carrying capacity of phytoplankton biomass was primarily constrained by N, and Fe was a limiting resource only near the equator where phytoplankton was co-limited by N and Fe. Positive growth responses in nutrient-receiving treatments were predominantly caused by diatoms, sometimes together with Synechococcus. The often strong stimulation of large phytoplankton in these treatments substantially modified the phytoplankton assemblage from picoplankton-to diatom-dominated, which was often accompanied by a significant increase in photosynthetic competence. This is the first report showing that phytoplankton in the tropical western North Pacific are primarily limited by N, and co-limited by Fe in some areas. We combined our results with those from comparable studies in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean to propose a general typology that describes and predicts the long-term effects of rate-limiting N and Fe on phytoplankton final biomass and changes in community structure.

Domaines

Océanographie

Dates et versions

hal-03502739 , version 1 (26-12-2021)

Identifiants

Citer

Qian Li, Louis Legendre, Nianzhi Jiao. Phytoplankton responses to nitrogen and iron limitation in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean. Journal of Plankton Research, 2015, 37 (2), pp.306-319. ⟨10.1093/plankt/fbv008⟩. ⟨hal-03502739⟩
9 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More