Abstract
At the compacted, north-south line of the ice edge, phytoplankton were sampled during early austral autumn of 1986 in the northwestern Weddell Sea. Cells from discrete water bottle samples from 12 stations on two east-west transects were counted to gain quantitative information on the composition, abundance, distribution, and condition of the phytoplankton in water-column assemblages. Over 70 species were found. The highest numbers of total cells (integrated through the top 150 m) were found in open water, well-separated from and to the east of the ice edge on the southern transect, with 6.01×1010 cells m-2. The relative abundance of diatoms was low at ice-convered stations (< 35% of the total phytoplankton in preserved samples) and high at open-water stations (> 80%); however, the relative abundance of the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis sp. was high at ice-covered stations (> 60%) and low at open-water stations (< 16%), with lower absolute abundances than during a previous austral-spring phytoplankton increase. In the open ocean, the dominants were the pennate diatoms Fragilariopsis cylindrus, Pseudonitzschia prolongatoides, F. curta, and a small form of the centric diatom Chaetoceros dichaeta in chains. Although the three pennate diatoms were frequently dominant in number, they represented less biomass than C. dichaeta in open waters. Mean phytoplankton abundance was low (0.2×106 cells l-1) but, overall, the diatom cell density (0.14×106 cells l-1) was similar to that found previously during a northward transect from ice-covered to ice-free water at the Weddell-Scotia Sea ice edge (spring 1983). The phytoplankton spatial patterns in the two autumn transects differed, with the more southerly transect exhibiting a higher abundance of diatoms and dinoflagellates. The ratio of full to empty diatoms was higher on the southern transect, indicating a healthy population, while lower ratios of full/empty frustules on the northern transect suggested a generally declining population. However, Phaeocystis sp. was more abundant on the northern transect.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Ainley, D. G., Sullivan, C. W. (1984). AMERIEZ 1983: a summary of activities on board the R/V Melville and USCGC Westwind. Antarctic J. U.S. 19: 100–103
Buck, K. R., Garrison, D. L. (1983). Protists from the ice-edge region of the Weddell Sea. Deep-Sea Res. 30: 1261–1277
Buck, K. R., Garrison, D. L. (1988). Distribution and abundance of choanoflagellates (Acanthoecidae) across the ice-edge zone in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Mar. Biol. 98: 263–269
Chang, F. H. (1983) The mucilage-producing Phaeocystis pouchetii (Prymnesiophyceae), cultured from the 1981 “Tasman Bay slime”. N. Z. J mar. Freshwat. Res. 17: 165–168
Comiso, J. C., Maynard, N. G., Smith, W. O., Jr., Sullivan, C. W. (1990) Satellite ocean color studies of Antarctic ice edges in summer/autumn. J. geophys. Res. 95: 9481–9496
Comiso, J. C., Sullivan, C. W. (1986). Satellite microwave observations of the Weddell Sea ice cover and its marginal ice zone. J. geophys. Res. 91: 9663–9681
Cota, G. F., Kottmeier, S. T., Robinson, D. H., Smith, W. O., Jr., Sullivan, C. W. (1990). Bacterioplankton in the marginal ice zone of the Weddell Sea: biomass, production and metabolic activities during austral autumn. Deep-Sea Res. 37:1145–1167
Cota, G. F., Smith, W. O., Jr. (1989). Phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the marginal ice zone of the Weddell-Scotia Sea during austral winter. Antarctic J. U.S. 24: 152–153
Daly, K. L., Macaulay, M. C. (1991). Influence of physical and biological mesoscale dynamics on the seasonal distribution and behavior of Eucampia superba in the antarctic marginal ice zone. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 79: 37–66
El-Sayed, S. (1984). Productivity of the Antarctic waters — a reappraisal. In: Holm-Hansen, O, Boris, L., Gilles, R. (eds.) Marine phytoplankton and productivity. Spring-Verlag, Berlin, p. 19–34
El-Sayed, S. Z., Biggs, D. C., Holm-Hansen, O. (1983). Phytoplankton standing crop, primary productivity, and near-surface nitrogenous nutrient fields in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Res. 30: 871–886
El-Sayed, S. Z., Taguchi, S. (1981). Primary production and standing crop of phytoplankton along the ice-edge in the Weddell Sea. Deep-Sea Res. 28: 1017–1032
Fisher, G., Fütterer, D., Gersonde, R., Honjo, S., Ostermann, D., Wefer, G. (1988). Seasonal variability of particle flux in the Weddell Sea and its relation to ice cover. Nature, Lond. 335: 426–428
Fryxell, G. A. (1989). Marine phytoplankton at the Weddell Sea ice edge: seasonal changes at the specific level. Polar Biol. 10: 1–18
Fryxell, G. A. (1991). Comparison of winter and summer growth stages of the diatom Eucampia antarctica from the Kerguelen Plateau and south of the Antarctic Convergence Zone. In: Barron, J., Larsen, B. (eds.) Proceedings of the ODP Scientific Results, 119. (Ocean Drilling Program) College Station, Texas p. 675–685
Fryxell, G. A. (1993). Planktonic marine diatom winter stages: Antarctic alternatives to resting spores. Mem. Calif Acad. Sci. (in press)
Fryxell, G. A., Kendrick, G. A. (1988). Austral spring microalgae across the Weddell Sea ice edge: spatial relationships found along a northward transect during AMERIEZ 83. Deep-Sea Res. 35: 1–20
Fryxell, G. A., Prasad, A. K. S. K. (1990). Eucampia antarctica var. recta (Mangin) stat. nov. (Biddulphiaceae, Bacillariophyceae): life stages at the Weddell Sea ice edge. Phycologia 29: 27–38
Garrison, D. L., Buck, K. R. (1985) Sea-ice algal communities in the Weddell Sea: species composition in ice and plankton assemblages. In: Gary, J.S., Christiansen, M. E. (eds.) Marine biology of polar regions and effects of stress on marine organisms. John Wiley, New York, p. 103–122
Garrison, D. L., Buck, K. R. (1989). The biota of Antarctic pack ice in the Weddell Sea and Antarctic peninsula regions. Polar Biol. 10: 211–219
Garrison, D. L., Buck, K. R., Fryxell, G. A. (1987). Algal assemblages in Antarctic pack ice and in ice-edge plankton. J. Phycol. 23: 564–572
Gould, R. W., Jr. (1987). The horizontal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton in warm core ring 82B: a five-month time series. Ph. D. dissertation. Texas A&M University
Hart, T. J. (1942). Phytoplankton periodicity in Antarctic surface water. Discovery Rep. 21: 263–348
Hasle, G. R. (1956). Phytoplankton and hydrography of the Pacific part of the Antarctic Ocean. Nature, Lond. 177: 616–617
Hasle, G. R. (1965a). Nitzschia and Fragilariopsis species studied in the light and electron microscopes. II. The group Pseudonitzschia. Skr. norske Vidensk-Akad. (Mat.-Naturv. Kl., ny Ser.) 18: 5–15
Hasle, G. R. (1965b). Nitzschia and Fragilariopsis species in the light and electron microscopes. III. The genus Fragilariopsis. Skr. norske Vidensk-Akad. (Mat.-naturv. Kl., ny Ser.) 21: 5–49
Hasle, G. R. (1969). An analysis of the phytoplankton of the Pacific Southern Ocean: abundance, composition, and distribution during the BRATEGG Expedition, 1947–1948. Hvaldråd. Skr. 52: 6–168
Hasle, G. R. (1972). Fragilariopsis Hustedt as a section of the genus Nitzschia Hassall. Nova Hedwigia (Beih.) 54: 15–66
Hasle, G. R. (1978). The inverted microscope method. Monogr. oceanogr. Methodol. (UNESCO) 6: 88–96
Hasle, G. R. (1993). Nomenclatural notes on marine planktonic diatoms. The family Bacillariaceae. Nova Hedwigia Beih. (in press)
Husby, D. M., Muench, R. D. (1988). Hydrographic observations in the northwestern Weddell Sea marginal ice zone during March 1986. NOAA natn. mar. Fish. Serv. tech. Memo U.S. Dep. Commerce SWFC-106: 1–33
Jacques, G., Descolas-Gros, C., Grall, J. R., Sournia, A. (1979). Distribution du phytoplancton dans la partie antarctique de l'Ocean Indien en fin d'ete. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 64: 609–628
Kang, S.-H. (1989). Diatom species composition and abundance in water column assemblages from five drill sites in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119: distributional patterns. M.S. thesis. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Kang, S.-H. (1992). Phytoplankton in the Antarctic marginal ice zone. Ph. D. dissertation. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Kang, S.-H., Fryxell, G. A. (1991). Most abundant diatom species in water column assemblages from five ODP Leg 119 drill sites in Prydz Bay, Antarctica: distributional patterns. In: Barron, J., Larsen, B. (eds.) Proceedings of the ODP Scientific Results, 119. (Ocean Drilling Program) College Station, Texas p. 645–666
Kang, S.-H., Fryxell, G. A. (1992). Fragilariopsis cylindrus (Grunow) Krieger: the most abundant diatom in water column assemblages of Antarctic marginal ice edge zones. Polar Biol. 12: 609–627
Kang, S-H., Fryxell, G. A., Roelke, D. L. (1993). Fragilariopsis cylindrus compared with other species of the diatom family Bacillariaceae in Antarctic marginal ice edge zones. Nova Hedwigia (Beih.) (in press)
Kozlova, O. G. (1966). Diatoms of the Indian and Pacific sectors of the Antarctic. [transl. from Russ.] N.S.F., Washington, D. C. S. Monson, Jerusalem
Lancelot, C., Mathot, S. (1985). Biochemical fractionation of primary production by phytoplankton in Belgian coastal waters during short- and long-term incubation with 14C-bicarbonate. II. Phaeocystis poucheti colonial population. Mar. Biol. 86: 227–232
Medlin, L. K., Priddle, J. (1990). Polar marine diatoms. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge
Moisan, T. A., Fryxell, G. A. (1993). The distribution of Antarctic phytoplankton species in the Weddell Sea during austral winter (in preparation)
Nelson, D. M., Smith, W. O., Jr., Gordon, L. I., Huber, B.A. (1987). Spring distributions of density, nutrients, and phytoplankton biomass in the ice edge zone of the Weddell-Scotia Sea. J. geophys. Res. 92: 7181–7190
Nelson, D. M., Smith, W. O., Jr., Muench, R. D., Gordon, L. I., Sullivan, C. W., Husby, D. M. (1989). Particulate matter and nutrient distributions in the ice-edge zone of the Weddell Sea: relationship to hydrography during late summer. Deep-Sea Res. 36: 191–209
Palmisano, A. C., SooHoo, J. B., SooHoo, S. L., Kottmeier, S. T., Craft, L. L., Sullivan, C. W. (1986). Photoadaptation in Phaeocystis pouchetii advected beneath annual sea ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. J. Plankton Res. 8: 891–906
Palmisano, A. C., Sullivan, C. W. (1983). Sea ice microbial communites (SIMCO). 1. Distribution, abundance and primary production of ice microalgae in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in 1980. Polar Biol. 2: 171–177
Perrin, R. A., Lu, P., Marchant, H. J. (1987). Seasonal variation in marine phytoplankton and ice algae at a shallow Antarctic coastal site. Hydrobiologia 146: 33–46
Priddle, J., Heywood, R. B., Theriot, E. (1986). Some environmental factors influencing phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean around South Georgia. Polar Biol. 5: 65–79
Robinson, D. H., SooHoo, J. B., Lizotte, M. P., Sullivan, C. W. (1987). Detritus is a significant component of the water column particulate material from the Weddell Sea marginal ice zone in autumn. EOS Trans., Am. geophys. Un. 68: p. 1765
Round, F. E., Crawford, R. M., Mann, D. G. (1990). The diatoms: biology and morphology of the genera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Smayda, T. J. (1978). From phytoplankton to biomass. Monogr. oceanogr. Methodol. (UNESCO) 6: 273–279
Smith, W. O., Jr., Garrison, D. L. (1990). Marine ecosystem research at the Weddell Sea ice edge: the AMERIEZ Program. Oceanography, Wash. 3: 22–29
Smith, W. O., Jr., Nelson, D. M. (1985). Phytoplankton bloom produced by a receding ice edge in the Ross Sea: spatial coherence with the density field. Science, N. Y. 227: 163–166
Smith, W. O., Jr., Nelson, D. M. (1986). Importance of ice edge phytoplankton production in the Southern Ocean. BioSci. 36: 251–257
Smith, W. O., Jr., Nelson, D. M. (1990). Phytoplankton growth and new production in the Weddell Sea marginal ice zone in the austral spring and autumn. Limnol. Oceanogr. 35: 809–821
SooHoo, J. B., Palmisano, A. C., Kottmeier, S. T., Lizotte, M. P., SooHoo, S. L., Sullivan, C. W. (1987). Spectral light absorption and quantum yield of photosynthesis in sea ice microalgae and a bloom of Phaeocystis pouchetii from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 39: 175–189
Sullivan, C. W., Cota, G. F., Krempin, D. W., Smith, W. O., Jr. (1990). Distribution and activity of bacterioplankton in the marginal ice zone of the Weddell-Scotia Sea during austral spring. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 63: 239–252
Sullivan, C. W., McClain, C. R., Comiso, J. C., Smith, W. O., Jr. (1988). Phytoplankton standing crops within an Antarctic ice edge assessed by satellite remote sensing. J. geophys. Res. 93: 12487–12498
Utermöhl, H. (1958). Zur Vervollkommnung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-Methodik. Mitt. int. Verein. theor. Angew. Limnol. 9: 1–38
Wilson, D. L., Smith, W. O., Jr., Nelson, D. M. (1986). Phytoplankton bloom dynamics of the western Ross Sea ice edge. I. Primary productivity and species-specific production. Deep-Sea Res. 33: 1375–1387
Zernova, V. V. (1970). Phytoplankton of the Southern Ocean. In: Holdgate, M. V. (ed.) Antarctic ecology. Academic Press, London, p. 136–142
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by N. H. Marcus, Tallahassee
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kang, SH., Fryxell, G.A. Phytoplankton in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica: composition, abundance and distribution in water-column assemblages of the marginal ice-edge zone during austral autumn. Marine Biology 116, 335–348 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350024
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350024