| 2. |
- Henderiks, Jorijntje, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental controls on Emiliania huxleyi morphotypes in the Benguela coastal upwelling system (SE Atlantic)
- 2012
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Ingår i: Marine Ecology Progress Series. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0171-8630 .- 1616-1599. ; 448, s. 51-66
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two distinct morphotypes of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi were observed as part of the phytoplankton succession offshore of Namibia, where coastal upwelling created strong gradients in sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, and nutrient conditions. The sampled surface waters hosted a characteristic succession of phytoplankton communities: diatoms bloomed in newly upwelled waters above the shelf, whereas dense coccolithophore communities dominated by E. huxleyi were found farther offshore, in progressively aging upwelled waters. A substantially calcified E. huxleyi morphotype (labeled Type A*) dominated plankton assemblages at stations influenced by upwelling, that immediately succeeded coastal diatom blooms. This morphotype caused a chlorophyll and 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin (19'-HF) maximum with >1 x 10(6) cells l(-1), straddling a pycnocline at 17 m depth where the in situ N:P ratio was approximate to 13. Farther offshore, within <20 nautical miles distance, populations of Type A* drastically declined, and a more delicate morphotype with thin distal shield elements and open central area (Type B/C) was found. This morphotype was most abundant (similar to 0.2 x 10(6) cells l(-1)) in high-phosphate, nitrogen-depleted surface waters (N:P approximate to 8), where it co-existed with other coccolithophores, most notably Syracosphaera spp. Extensive surface blooms of coccolithophores observed by satellites in the same region in the past were identified by microscopy as being produced by E. huxleyi and S. pulchra. However, blooms of E. huxleyi at greater depths in the euphotic zone, such as those observed in this study, will go undetected by satellites and thus underestimate coccolithophore biomass and calcification within upwelling regions.
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| 3. |
- Winter, Amos, et al.
(författare)
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Poleward expansion of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Plankton Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0142-7873 .- 1464-3774. ; 36:2, s. 316-325
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coccolithophores are one of the most abundant eukaryotic phytoplankton in the oceans and are distinguished by their ability to build calcitic platelets (coccoliths). Of the numerous species, Emiliania huxleyi is considered one of the major calcifiers in the pelagic ocean. There is growing concern that increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the subsequent acidification of the ocean may disrupt the production of coccoliths. Furthermore, any change in the global distribution and abundance of E. huxleyi relative to non-calcifying groups of phytoplankton (e.g. diatoms) will have important effects on the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and climatic feedbacks. We review different lines of evidence that suggest E. huxleyi is increasingly expanding its range into the polar oceans. These observations contribute to the debate on the climatic effects on natural coccolithophore populations. We postulate that E. huxleyi may be more sensitive to recent environmental changes such as increasing sea surface temperature and salinity than to changing ocean carbonate chemistry, partly because increased availability of CO2(aq) likely alleviates a carbon limitation for the inefficient Rubisco enzyme in these algae. Any potentially important climatic feedbacks of coccolithophores need a better knowledge of the mechanisms and rates of adaptation by natural populations. As more data and modelling work become available, the real significance of this poleward expansion will become clear.
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