Sedimentation of phytoplankton during a diatom bloom: Rates and mechanisms

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ID: 293986
1996
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Abstract
ABSTRACT Phytoplankton blooms are uncoupled from grazing and are normally terminated by sedimentation. There are several potential mechanisms by which phytoplankton cells may settle out of the photic zone: sinking of individual cells or chains, coagulation of cells into aggregates with high settling velocities, settling of cells attached to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses or pteropod feeding webs, and packaging of cells into rapidly falling zooplankton fecal pellets. We quantified the relative significance of these different mechanisms during a diatom bloom in a temperate fjord, and evaluated their potential to control phytoplankton population dynamics. Overall specific sedimentation rates of intact phytoplankton cells were low during the 11 -day study period, averaging ca. 0.1 d-l, and mass sedimentation and bloom termination did not occur. Most cells settled attached to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses, whereas settling of unaggregated cells was insignificant. Formation rates of phytoplankton aggregates by physical coagulation was very low, and losses by this mechanism were co.07 d-t; phytoplankton aggregates were neither recorded in the water column (by divers) nor in sediment traps. The low coagulation rates were due to a very low ‘stickiness’ of suspended particles. The dominant diatom, Thalassiosira mendiolana, that accounted for up to 75% of the phytoplankton biomass, was not sticky at all, and did not turn sticky upon nutrient depletion in culture experiments. The low particle stickiness recorded may be related to low formation rates by diatoms of transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP), that occurred in low concentrations throughout the study period. Zooplankton grazing rate did not respond to the development of the bloom and accounted for a loss term to the phytoplankton populations comparable to sinking of intact cells; fecal pellets accounted for 3&50% of settled phytoplankton and phytodetritus. While coagulation may give rise to density-dependent losses to phytoplankton populations and, hence, control blooms, neither of the other mechanisms 1. Danish Institute for Fisheries Research, Charlottenlund Castle, DK-2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark (email: tk@dfu.min.dk) 2. Marine Biological Laboratory, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsinger, Denmark. 3. Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, U.S.A. 4. Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, U.S.A. 5. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, 06340-6097, U.S.A. 6. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02143, U.S.A. 7. Present address: School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Welling- ton, New Zealand. 8. Universidad de Cadiz, Department de Biologia Animal, Vegetal y Ecologia, Aptdo 40, E-l 1510 Puerto Real (Cadiz), Spain. 1123
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openalex_W2070428078 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Thomas Kiørboe, Bettina E. Hansen, Alice L. Alldredge, George A. Jackson, Uta Passow, Hans G. Dam, David T. Drapeau, Anya M. Waite, Carlos M. García
Journal journal of marine research
Year 1996
DOI
10.1357/0022240963213754
URL
https://doi.org/10.1357/0022240963213754
Keywords Keywords not found

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