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    Biogeochemistry
    Trace metal
    TRACE (psycholinguistics)
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    Abstract The availability of essential elements determines the productivity of phytoplankton, with implications for ocean carbon sequestration, but the role of multiple trace metals for driving the biogeography of key phytoplankton groups that are major components of the carbon pump is not well understood. We explore the patterns of trace metal limitation of phytoplankton species spanning across different functional groups with a novel set of approaches that combined data synthesis and diagnostic modelling. Our analysis reinforces the importance of Fe, showing that representative species of diatoms, picocyanobacteria, and dinoflagellates are Fe limited in about 60%, 38%, and 5% of the global ocean. However, diatoms are also Mn limited in ~20% and dinoflagellates Zn limited in over 60% of the ocean. Our analyses additionally highlight a previously overlooked role of Cu in limiting the growth of phytoplankton and suggest that trace metal supply may have a greater impact on the distribution of diatoms and dinoflagellates than on coccolithophores. The inferred patterns of trace metal limitation for different phytoplankton are broadly supported by transcriptomic data from surface ocean. Using projections of how trace metal concentrations may evolve with climate change, we show that the future oceans may promote widespread Zn limitation, shifting phytoplankton communities to groups that drive a weaker biological pump.
    Trace metal
    Limiting
    Trace element
    TRACE (psycholinguistics)
    Phytoplankton growth in large parts of the world ocean is limited by low availability of dissolved iron (dFe), restricting oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2. The bioavailability of dFe in seawater is however difficult to appraise since it is bound by a variety of poorly characterized organic ligands. Here, we propose a new approach for evaluating seawater dFe bioavailability based on its uptake rate constant by Fe-limited cultured phytoplankton. We utilized seven phytoplankton species of diverse classes, sizes, and provenances to probe for dFe bioavailability in 12 seawater samples from several ocean basins and depths. All tested phytoplankton acquired organically bound Fe in any given sample at similar rates (after normalizing to cellular surface area), confirming that multiple, Fe-limited phytoplankton species can be used to probe dFe bioavailability in seawater. These phytoplankton-based uptake rate constants allowed us to compare water types, and obtain a grand average estimate of seawater dFe bioavailability. Among water types, dFe bioavailability varied by approximately four-fold, and did not clearly correlate with Fe concentrations or any of the measured Fe speciation parameters. Compared with well-studied Fe complexes, seawater dFe is more available than model siderophore Fe, but less available than inorganic Fe. Exposure of seawater to sunlight, however, significantly enhanced dFe bioavailability. The rate constants established in this work, not only facilitate comparison between water types, but also allow calculation of Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton in the ocean based on measured dFe concentrations. The approach established and verified in this study, opens a new way for determining dFe bioavailability in samples across the ocean, and enables modeling of in situ Fe uptake rates by phytoplankton using dFe concentrations from GEOTRACES datasets.
    Chemical oceanography
    Genetic algorithm
    Citations (53)
    MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 470:191-205 (2012) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10082 Influence of ocean warming and acidification on trace metal biogeochemistry Linn J. Hoffmann1,2,*, Eike Breitbarth1,2, Philip W. Boyd3, Keith A. Hunter1 1Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand 2GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany 3National Institute of Water and Atmosphere Centre of Chemical and Physical Oceanography, Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand *Email: lhoffmann@geomar.de ABSTRACT: Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations will have profound effects on atmospheric and hydrographic processes, which will ultimately modify the supple and chemistry of trace metals in the ocean. In addition to an increase in sea surface temperatures, higher CO2 results in a decrease in seawater pH, known as ocean acidification, with implications for inorganic trace metal chemistry. Furthermore, direct or indirect effects of ocean acidification and ocean warming on marine biota will affect trace metal biogeochemistry via alteration of biological trace metal uptake rates and metal binding to organic ligands. We still lack a holistic understanding of the impacts of decreasing seawater pH and rising temperatures on different trace metals and marine biota, which complicates projections into the future. Here, we outline how ocean acidification and ocean warming will influence the inputs and cycling of Fe and other biologically relevant trace metals globally and regionally in high and low latitudes of the future ocean; we discuss uncertainties and highlight essential future research fields. KEY WORDS: Ocean acidification · Ocean warming · Trace metals Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Hoffmann LJ, Breitbarth E, Boyd PW, Hunter KA (2012) Influence of ocean warming and acidification on trace metal biogeochemistry. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 470:191-205. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10082 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 470. Online publication date: December 06, 2012 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2012 Inter-Research.
    Biogeochemistry
    Ocean Acidification
    Trace metal
    Biota
    Ocean chemistry
    Chemical oceanography
    Citations (118)
    An apparatus designed to reduce trace metal contamination also functions to concentrate in situ particulate and dissolved Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn from seawater over integrated time intervals ranging from 1 day to 1 week.
    Trace metal
    TRACE (psycholinguistics)
    Citations (16)
    Biogeochemistry
    Trace metal
    TRACE (psycholinguistics)
    Chemical oceanography
    Citations (4)