Phytoplankton community composition

Pigment distribution is useful for quantitative assessment of phytoplankton community composition, phytoplankton growth rate and... 

Rising CO2 in the atmosphere or purposeful deep ocean CO2 disposal may lead to decreases in oceanic pH. pH was not even considered as a factor that influences nitrification rate in the hst of potential factors mentioned earher, because ocean pH is rehably invariant over most of the ocean in today s world. But changes of 1—2 pH units in response to CO2 increases could inhibit nitrification rates by up to 90% (Huesemann et ah, 2002). Long term inhibition of nitrification may lead to the accumulation of NH4+ in the oxic waters, decreases in N03 available for denitrification, and changes in phytoplankton community composition as a result of nutrient preferences and competition. 

Kamykowski D., Zentara S.-J., Morrison J. M., and Switzer A. C. (2002) Dynamic patterns of nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and iron availability and phytoplankton community composition from remote sensing data. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 16(4), 1077 doi 10.1029/2001GB001640. 

McIntosh, D., Fitzsimmons, K., Collins, C. and Stephens, C. Phytoplankton community composition and chlorophyU-a levels of inland, low salinity shrimp ponds. World Aquaculture, 37(1), 58, 2006. 

Numerous studies have shown that increased levels of UV affect photosynthetic activity (10-23), growth rate (24), nitrogen metabolism (25), and locomotion (26) of phytoplankton. Additionally, increases in UV-B are likely to alter community diversity as well as phytoplankton species composition. Thus, by weakening the base of the food web and altering trophodynamic relationships, UV-induced changes could potentially have far-reaching effects on the entire ecosystem. 

Y. Dandonneau, P.-Y. Deschamps, J.-M Nicolas, H. Loisel, J. Blanchot, Y. Montel, F. Thieuleux and G. Becu, Seasonal and interannual variability of ocean color and composition of phytoplankton communities in the North Atlantic, equatorial Pacific and South Pacific. Deep Sea Res. II 51 (2004) 303-318. 

Phaeocystis sp. (Prymnesiophyceae). II. Pigment Composition. J Phycol 34 496-503 Wells ML (1999), Manipulating iron availability in nearshore waters. Limnol Oceanogr 44 1002-1008 Wells ML, Price NM, Bruland KW (1994) Iron limitation and the cyanobacterium Synechococcus in equatorial Pacific waters. Limnol Oceanogr 39 1481-1486 Worthen DL, Arrigo KR (2003) A coupled ocean-ecosystem model of the Ross Sea. Part 1 Interannual variability of primary production and phytoplankton community structure. In DiTullio GR, Dunbar RB (eds) Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea. Antarct Res Ser 78 93-105... 

Hewson, 1., O Neil, J. M., Hed, C. A., Bratbak, G., and Dennison, W. C. (2001c). Effects of concentrated natural viral communities on photosynthesis and community composition of co-occuring benthic microalgae and phytoplankton. Aquat. Microb. Ecol. 25, 1—10. 

A shift in community composition may also be important to the biological pump if it is from a calcareous to a noncalcareous phytoplankton, as precipitation of CaCOs diminishes the ocean s ability to hold dissolved CO2. DIC (XCO2) is present in seawater as several species, dissolved CO2, carbonic acid, and the dissociated forms, bicarbonate ion, and carbonate ion ... 

I. Laurion, W.F. Vincent (1998). Cell size versus taxonomic composition as determinants of UV-sensitivity in natural phytoplankton communities. Limnol. Oceanogr., 43,1774-1779. 

Species composition and biodiversity of the Aral phytoplankton have changed dramatically since the early 1970s [2, 26 and citations therein]. Before this period, the list of species numbered 375 with the domination of Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta species [27], The most abundant species in the central parts of the sea was Actinocyclus ehrenhergii var. crassa [28]. In the 1970-1980s, not only did most brackish water species disappear from the Aral Sea, but also some marine species. In this period, the biodiversity of the phytoplankton community decreased from 306 to 250 species with the predominance of Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, and Chlorophyta [18,29]. In 1999-2002, the number of species dropped to 159 with the absolute dominance of Bacillariophyta (115 species) [26]. 

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