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Seasonal variability of phytoplankton community structure in the subtropical western North Pacific

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Abstract

During 2010–2012 in the northwestern region of the North Pacific subtropical gyre, we examined seasonal variability of the phytoplankton community with respect to structure and photo-physiological status using the chemotaxonomy program CHEMTAX and fast-repetition-rate fluorometry. Total chlorophyll a standing stock in the upper 150 m (ʃTChl a) varied from 25.5 to 89.0 mg m−2 during periods of relatively deep vertical mixing (40–207 m), but was fairly constant (18.6–27.2 mg m−2) during stratification periods. Prymnesiophytes, chlorophytes, chrysophytes, prasinophytes, and/or diatoms comprised major portions of the ʃTChl a during mixing periods. Diatoms became the most abundant group (29–43 %) in February 2011, when large phytoplankton blooms were observed, whereas Prochlorococcus was the dominant component (15–46 %) during stratification periods. During mixing periods, nitrate and nitrite (NO3 + NO2) concentrations occasionally exceeded 0.5 μmol kg−1 in surface waters, and F v/F m (photochemical efficiency of photosystem II) ranged from approximately 0.40–0.50 within the euphotic zone. During stratification periods, however, NO3 + NO2 concentrations were very low (<0.1 μmol kg−1) from the surface to 50–95 m, and F v/F m was in the range of 0.25–0.40 in the upper mixed layer. The seasonal variability of phytoplankton community structure in this region was related to the nutrient supply from deep waters. Additionally, we compared our data to published values at the time-series station ALOHA, located in the eastern region of the NPSG. At Sta. ALOHA in 2011, ʃTChl a was almost constant (19.5–26.4 mg m−2) throughout the year and was consistently dominated by Prochlorococcus (61–81 %). These results suggest that the phytoplankton community in the northwestern region of the NPSG is seasonally variable and composed of diverse groups compared with the eastern region of the NPSG.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captain and crew of the R/V Mirai for their support during the cruise and the staff of Marine Works Japan and Global Ocean Development for their on-board analysis and deck work. We also thank M. C. Honda and two anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions on this manuscript. This work was carried out as part of the K2S1 project funded by the Environmental Biogeochemical Cycle Research Program of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan

    Tetsuichi Fujiki & Kosei Sasaoka

  2. Department of Environmental Geochemical Cycle Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan

    Kazuhiko Matsumoto

  3. Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 690 Kitasekine, Sekine, Mutsu, 035-0022, Japan

    Masahide Wakita

  4. Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Yoshihisa Mino

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  1. Tetsuichi Fujiki
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  2. Kosei Sasaoka
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  3. Kazuhiko Matsumoto
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  4. Masahide Wakita
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  5. Yoshihisa Mino
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Correspondence to Tetsuichi Fujiki.

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Fujiki, T., Sasaoka, K., Matsumoto, K. et al. Seasonal variability of phytoplankton community structure in the subtropical western North Pacific. J Oceanogr 72, 343–358 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-015-0346-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-015-0346-9

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