Response of a coastal tropical pelagic microbial community to changed salinity and temperature

• Studies on the responses of tropical microbial communities to changing hydrographic conditions are presently poorly represented. We present here the results from a mesocosm experiment conducted in southwest (SW) coastal India to investigate how changes in temperature and salinity may affect a coastal tropic microbial community. The onset of algal and bacterial blooms, the maximum production and biomass, and the interrelation between phytoplankton and bacteria were studied in replicated mesocosms. The treatments were set up featuring ambient conditions (28 °C, 35 PSU), hyposalinity (31 PSU), warming (31 °C) and a double manipulated treatment with warming and hyposalinity (31 °C, 31 PSU). The hyposaline treatment had the most considerable influence manifested as significantly lower primary production, and the most dissimilar microphytoplankton species community. The increased temperature acted as a catalyst in the double manipulated treatment and higher primary production was maintained. We investigated the dynamics of the microbial community with a structural equation model approach, and found a significant interrelation between phytoplankton biomass and bacterial abundance. Using this methodology, it became evident that temperature and salinity changes, individually and together, mediate direct and indirect effects that influence different compartments of the microbial loop. In the face of climate change, we suggest that in relatively nutrient replete tropical coastal zones, salinity and temperature changes will affect nutrient assimilation with subsequent significant effects on the quantity of microbial biomass and production.

Ämnesord

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Microbiology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologiska vetenskaper -- Mikrobiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Phytoplankton

bacteria

climate change

temperature

salinity

structural equation modeling

tropical microbial community

heterotrophic seawater mesocosms

Arabian Sea

Vibrio-Parahaemolyticus; marine-phytoplankton

ocean acidification

bacteria

dynamics

monsoon

algae

Phytoplankton

Bacteria

Climate change

Temperature

Salinity

Structural equation modeling

Tropical microbial community

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