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Seasonal appearance ofProchlorococcus in Suruga Bay, Japan in 1992–1993

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Abstract

Seasonal appearance ofProchlorococcus was studied by flow cytometry in Suruga Bay, Japan in 1992–1993.Prochlorococcus cells were in high concentrations (>1×104 cells ml−1) from July to October 1992 and September 1993, when the water temperature was over 20°C. The 16S rRNA of the isolated cells showed 98.5% sequence homology with that ofP. marinus (Sargasso strain), indicating that they are the same species. The former has a high divinyl-chlorophyll (DV-Chl.)a/b ratio similar to the Mediterranean strain and different from the Sargasso strain. Maximum concentration ofProchlorococcus at the surface water was 2.5×104 cells ml−1 in August 1992 and their DV-Chl.a accounted for 4.0% of the total chlorophylla. A decrease in cell density to less than 5×103 cells ml−1 was observed from December to May with an exceptional rise in January 1993. WhileProchlorococcus showed a maximum concentration of 3.6×104 cells ml−1 at 10 m depth in September 1992, phycoerythrin (PE)-richSynechococcus spp. were dominant with their maximum concentration of 2.2×105 cells ml−1 in the same water body. On the other hand, phycocyanin (PC)-richSynechococcus spp. and the larger phytoplankters showed maximum concentrations in the surface waters in May and June. BothProchlorococcus and PE-richSynechococcus showed their lowest concentrations in April. A significant positive correlation was obtained between cell concentrations of the PE-richSynechococcus andProchlorococcus.

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  1. Simizu Laboratories, Marine Biotechnology Institute (MBI), 1900 Sodeshi-cho, 424, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka, Japan

    A. Shimada, M. Nishijima & T. Maruyama

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  1. A. Shimada
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  2. M. Nishijima
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  3. T. Maruyama
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Shimada, A., Nishijima, M. & Maruyama, T. Seasonal appearance ofProchlorococcus in Suruga Bay, Japan in 1992–1993. J Oceanogr 51, 289–300 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02285167

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