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Effects of heat shock and salinity changes on coastal Mediterranean phytoplankton in a mesocosm experiment

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Abstract

Decreasing biodiversity is projected as one of the most consistent effects of warming on marine microbial communities. It is predicted that low biodiversity will consequently influence the community sensitivity to additional environmental alterations. Mesocosms were used to study the response of natural Mediterranean phytoplankton communities (control and heat shock + 6 °C) to salinity variations (− 5psu, control, + 5psu). We examined the effect on species composition, species richness as well as phytoplankton biomass and resource use efficiency. Heat shock was coupled with decreased species richness (30 species in control community while 26 in heat shock) and slightly reduced phytoplankton biomass. Changes in salinity altered the phytoplankton species composition (dinoflagellates were absent in decreased salinity treatments) and significantly reduced the phytoplankton species richness. The phytoplankton biomass and the resource use efficiency also decreased with exception of the increased salinity treatment in the non-heated community. In general, decreased salinity had stronger negative effects compared to increased salinity as displayed by the lowest species richness and lowest phytoplankton biomass in those treatments. Most notably, we identified a synergistic negative effect of heat shock with increased/decreased salinity which can be attributed to the lower species richness and, thus, decreased stability in the heated community.

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Acknowledgments

T. Hansen, B. Gardeler and C. Meyer are gratefully acknowledged for possessing the flow cytometry and the nutrients data. The experiments are part of the BEN-Network (non-random biodiversity experiments network) initiated by A.M. Lewandowska (University of Helsinki, Tvärminne Zoological Station). Similar experiments using the same design are being conducted on other marine sites. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for helping improve our manuscript.

Funding

This research is implemented through IKY scholarships program and co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund–ESF) and Greek national funds through the action entitled” Scholarships program for postgraduates studies-2nd Study Cycle” in the framework of the Operational Program “Human Resources Development Program, Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2014–2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Natassa Stefanidou, Savvas Genitsaris & Maria Moustaka-Gouni

  2. School of Economics Business Administration and Legal Studies, International Hellenic University, 57001, Thermi, Greece

    Savvas Genitsaris

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, P.O. Box. 870345, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35484-0345, USA

    Juan Lopez-Bautista

  4. Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Ulrich Sommer

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  1. Natassa Stefanidou
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  5. Maria Moustaka-Gouni
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Correspondence to Maria Moustaka-Gouni.

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Stefanidou, N., Genitsaris, S., Lopez-Bautista, J. et al. Effects of heat shock and salinity changes on coastal Mediterranean phytoplankton in a mesocosm experiment. Mar Biol 165, 154 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3415-y

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