Phytoplankton | EPFL Graph Search

Phytoplankton (ˌfaɪtoʊˈplæŋktən) are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning 'plant', and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. Phytoplankton obtain their energy through photosynthesis, as do trees and other plants on land. This means phytoplankton must have light from the sun, so they live in the well-lit surface layers (euphotic zone) of oceans and lakes. In comparison with terrestrial plants, phytoplankton are distributed over a larger surface area, are exposed to less seasonal variation and have markedly faster turnover rates than trees (days versus decades). As a result, phytoplankton respond rapidly on a global scale to climate variations. Phytoplankton form the base of marine and freshwater food webs and are key players in the global carbon cycle. They account for about half of global photosynthetic activity and at least hal

Comparison of two carbon-nitrogen regulatory models calibrated with mesocosm data

Shubham Krishna

Marine phytoplankton can regulate their stoichiometric composition in response to variations in the availability of nutrients, light and the pH of seawater. Varying elemental composition of photoautotrophs affects several important ecological and biogeochemical processes, e.g., primary and export production, nutrient cycling, calcification, and grazing. Here we compare two plankton ecosystem models that consider regulatory mechanisms of cellular carbon and nitrogen, driving the physiological acclimation of photoautotrophs. The Carbon:Nitrogen Regulated Ecosystem Model (CN-REcoM) and the optimality-based model (OBM) differ in their representation of phytoplankton dynamics, i.e. nutrient acquisition, synthesis of chlorophyll a, and growth. All other model compartments (zooplankton, detritus, dissolved inorganic and organic matter) and processes (grazing, aggregation, remineralisation) remain identical in both models. We assess the skills of the two models against data from an ocean acidification mesocosm experiment with three CO2 treatments. Neither model accounts for any carbon dioxide (CO2) effects explicitly. Instead, we assimilate data of the different CO2 treatments separately into the models. Thereby we aim at identifying optimal model parameter values that might correlate with differences in CO2 conditions. For the OBM, optimal parameter estimates of Q(min) (subsistence N:C ratio) and V-C(0) (maximum potential photosynthesis rate of photoautotrophs) turned out to be higher for mesocosms exposed to high CO2 compared to those with low CO2 concentrations. By contrast, a similar correlation is not observed for the CN-REcoM. A possible physiological interpretation of higher estimates of Q(min), and V-C(0) according to the OBM is that phytoplankton may experience environmental stress under more acidic conditions, and hence must invest more energy/resources for maintaining basic cellular functions. Our data assimilation reveals that the parameters of the OBM are better constrained by the data than those of the CN-REcoM. Furthermore, the OBM is better able than CN-REcoM to reproduce data that were not used for parameter optimization.

2019

Diel quenching of Southern Ocean phytoplankton fluorescence is related to iron limitation

Nina Schuback

Evaluation of photosynthetic competency in time and space is critical for better estimates and models of oceanic primary productivity. This is especially true for areas where the lack of iron (Fe) limits phytoplankton productivity, such as the Southern Ocean. Assessment of photosynthetic competency on large scales remains challenging, but phytoplankton chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) is a signal that holds promise in this respect as it is affected by, and consequently provides information about, the photosynthetic efficiency of the organism. A second process affecting the ChlF signal is heat dissipation of absorbed light energy, referred to as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). NPQ is triggered when excess energy is absorbed, i.e. when more light is absorbed than can be used directly for photosynthetic carbon fixation. The effect of NPQ on the ChlF signal complicates its interpretation in terms of photosynthetic efficiency, and therefore most approaches relating ChlF parameters to photosynthetic efficiency seek to minimize the influence of NPQ by working under conditions of sub-saturating irradiance. Here, we propose that NPQ itself holds potential as an easily acquired optical signal indicative of phytoplankton physiological state with respect to Fe limitation. We present data from a research voyage to the Subantarctic Zone south of Australia. Incubation experiments confirmed that resident phytoplankton were Fe-limited, as the maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry, F-v/F-m, measured with a fast repetition rate fluorometer (FRRf), increased significantly with Fe addition. The NPQ "capacity" of the phytoplankton also showed sensitivity to Fe addition, decreasing with increased Fe availability, confirming previous work. The fortuitous presence of a remnant warm-core eddy in the vicinity of the study area allowed comparison of fluorescence behaviour between two distinct water masses, with the colder water showing significantly lower F-v/F-m than the warmer eddy waters, suggesting a difference in Fe limitation status between the two water masses. Again, NPQ capacity measured with the FRRf mirrored the behaviour observed in F-v/F-m, decreasing as F-v/F-m increased in the warmer water mass. We also analysed the diel quenching of underway fluorescence measured with a standard fluorometer, such as is frequently used to monitor ambient chlorophyll a concentrations, and found a significant difference in behaviour between the two water masses. This difference was quantified by defining an NPQ parameter akin to the Stern-Volmer parameterization of NPQ, exploiting the fluorescence quenching induced by diel fluctuations in incident irradiance. We propose that monitoring of this novel NPQ parameter may enable assessment of phytoplankton physiological status (related to Fe availability) based on measurements made with standard fluorometers, as ubiquitously used on moorings, ships, floats and gliders.

2020

Long-term changes in phytoplankton functional groups and primary production in Lake Geneva: A Modelling Approach

Emile Barbe

In this study, a hydrodynamical model is coupled to a biogeochemical model, and then used to simulate the main physical, chemical and biological characteristics of Lake Geneva. The study period, going from 1981 to 2016 was marked by two major changes with concomitant effects: re-oligotrophication by reducing the phosphorus loading and climate change. Thanks to the calibrated model, changes of the ecosystem related to climate change and re-oligotrophication were disentangled. It resulted in a positive effect of the former on phytoplankton biomass and primary production, and a negative effect of the latter. The combined effects of these two majors changes are negative. However, these results have a large uncertainty related to the capacity of the model to reproduce the biological characters of Lake Geneva. The calibration procedure must be improved to ensure a higher relevance of the results.

2020

Comparison of two carbon-nitrogen regulatory models calibrated with mesocosm data

Shubham Krishna

2019

Diel quenching of Southern Ocean phytoplankton fluorescence is related to iron limitation

Nina Schuback

2020