Regional variability in eukaryotic protist communities in the Amundsen Sea

We determined the composition and structure of late summer eukaryotic protist assemblages along a west-east transect in the Amundsen Sea. We used state-of-the-art molecular approaches, such as automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 454-pyrosequencing, combined with pigment measurements via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to study the protist assemblage. We found characteristic offshore and inshore communities. In general, total chlorophyll a and microeukaryotic contribution were higher in inshore samples. Diatoms were the dominant group across the entire area, of which Eucampia sp. and Pseudo-nitzschia sp. were dominant inshore and Chaetoceros sp. was dominant offshore. At the most eastern station, the assemblage was dominated by Phaeocystis sp. Under the ice, ciliates showed their highest and haptophytes their lowest abundance. This study delivers a taxon detailed overview of the eukaryotic protist composition in the Amundsen Sea during the summer 2010.