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Skeletonema cf. costatum biogenic silica production rate determinated by PDMPO method

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Abstract

Diatoms are the only ecological phytoplankton that require silicic acid for growth. They are also the dominant contributor of ocean’s total primary productivity. Generation and circulation with silica walls, which the siliceous organisms form, is an important component of the marine biological pump. It is crucial to the study of the operational mechanisms of biological pump with different sea areas. Moreover, it is the key link to the study of global silicon cycle. This paper introduces the basic mechanism of the formation of diatom silica walls and a new way of researching silicic acid metabolism, namely the 2-(4-pyridyl)-5-((4-(2-dimethylaminoethylaminocarbamoyl)- methoxy)phenyl)oxazole (PDMPO) dyeing method. Under a fluorescence microscope after excitation with bright green fluorescence, it can combine with silicic acid to form a complex into the Si deposition within diatom cells. The advantage of this method is that it can monitor the metabolism of silicate after adding PDMPO. For experimentation and sample collection in each of the specified time points, samples were determinated through the unutilized silicic acid, silica dissoluble intracellular and Si deposition within diatom cells, not only using hot alkaline digestions method but also PDMPO dyeing method. Results showed a good linear relationship between PDMPO fluorescent value and biogenic silica concentration. It was also indicated that PDMPO had no deleterious impact on Skeletonema cf. costatum growth for 34 h and was useful for tracking newly-deposited biogenic silica in diatoms’ frustules.

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Acknowledgements

The National Natural Science Foundation of China primarily supported this study. Dr. J. Sun received grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41276124 and 41676112), Program for Changjiang Scholars and the Science Fund for University Creative Research Groups in Tianjin (No. TD12-5003). Dr. Y. Feng received grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41306118). Dr. G. Zhang received grants from the Foundation of Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry (Tianjin University of Science & Technology), P. R. China (No. 201504).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China

    Guicheng Zhang, Xiaoyun Leng, Yuanyuan Feng, Xia Li & Jun Sun

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China

    Guicheng Zhang, Xiaoyun Leng, Yuanyuan Feng, Xia Li & Jun Sun

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  1. Guicheng Zhang
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  2. Xiaoyun Leng
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  4. Xia Li
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Correspondence to Jun Sun.

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Zhang, G., Leng, X., Feng, Y. et al. Skeletonema cf. costatum biogenic silica production rate determinated by PDMPO method. J. Ocean Univ. China 16, 333–338 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-017-2899-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-017-2899-2

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