Abstract
Changes in the species composition, photosynthesis, calcification and size-fractionated carbon metabolism by natural phytoplankton assemblages were monitored in three mesocosms under different nutrient conditions during May 1993. In the 3 enclosures, the decline of the diatom-dominated assemblages was followed by the development of a bloom of the coccolithoporid Emiliania huxleyi. Highest growth of E. huxleyi was observed in the mesocosm with a high N : P ratio, suggesting this species is a good competitor at low phosphate concentrations. The transition from diatom- to E. huxleyi-dominated assemblages brought about a sharp reduction of the phytoplankton standing stock and carbon-specific photosynthetic rate. The relative contribution of the smaller size fraction to total photosynthesis increased as the succession progressed. Calcification rate and E. huxleyi cell-specified calcite production were highest during the early stages of development of the E. huxleyi bloom. Distinct changes in the patterns of 14C allocation into biomolecules were noticed during the diatom-E. huxleyi succession. The diatom-dominated assemblage showed high relative 14C incorporation into low molecular weight metabolites (LMWM), whereas proteins and, specially, lipids accounted for the largest proportion of carbon incorporation in the E. huxleyi bloom. The patterns of photoassimilated carbon metabolism proved to be strongly dependent on cellular size, as protein relative synthesis was significantly higher in the smaller than in the larger size fraction, irrespective of the nutrient regime and the successional stage. These results are discussed in relation to the ecological and physiological features of small phytoplankton.
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marañón, E., Fernández, E., Harris, R.P. et al. Effects of the diatom-Emiliana huxleyi succession on photosynthesis, calcification and carbon metabolism by size-fractioned phytoplankton. Hydrobiologia 317, 189–199 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00036469
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00036469