Distinct patterns in the size-scaling of abundance and metabolism in coastal and open-ocean phytoplankton communities

Marine Ecology Progress Series

T. Rodr#xedguez-Ramos¹  D. C. L#xf3pez-Sandoval¹  J. M. Blanco¹  J. Rodr#xedguez¹  P. Cerme#xf1o¹  E. Mara#xf1#xf3n¹  M. Huete-Ortega¹  R. L. Palomino¹ 

关键词: Phytoplankton;    Cell size;    Metabolism;    Size-scaling;    Abundance;    Growth rate;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps11007

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: This study was aimed at identifying macroecological patterns in the relationship between phytoplankton cell size, abundance and metabolism in 2 marine ecosystems characterised by marked differences in resource availability and water-column stability. Several patterns emerged: (1) nearly isometric size-scaling of phytoplankton carbon fixation rate was described for both open-ocean and coastal ecosystems (mean slope: 1.17 and 0.90, respectively), supporting the idea that biomass-specific photosynthesis rates are largely independent of cell size; (2) less steep values for the size-scaling of abundance (mean slope: -0.73) were found in the coastal ecosystem compared to the open ocean (mean slope: -1.15); (3) large phytoplankton used more photosynthetic energy than smaller cells in the coastal ecosystem, but a constant flow of energy along the size spectrum was found in the open ocean; and (4) phytoplankton biomass turnover rates were 1 order of magnitude higher in the coastal ecosystem than in the open ocean, implying physiological limitation of phytoplankton growth in the oligotrophic ocean. Bottom-up and top-down mechanisms and their interaction with nutrient supply dynamics were suggested as major factors determining the contrasting phytoplankton size abundance distributions observed in coastal and open-ocean waters.

【 授权许可】

Unknown