Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
Volume 57, Issue 1, Pages 65-77Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2009.09.005
Keywords
Diazotroph; Nitrogen cycle; Size structure; North Atlantic subtropical gyre; Trichodesmium
Categories
Funding
- MEC
- CARPOS (MEC) [REN2003-09532-C03-03]
- RADIAL (IEO-Universidad de Oviedo) projects
- FGT
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Trichodesmium spp. population structure was studied based on a transect in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic in October 2006, covering a gradient from near-temperate conditions up to fully subtropical, oligotrophic waters. Trichodesmium spp. trichomes were counted and measured, distinguishing free trichomes from those forming macroscopic colonies (puffs or tufts). Moreover, for both free and colonial individuals, abundance and size structure variation were quantified from single trichome-level data. Nitrogen fixation rates were estimated using an empirical approach based on abundance observations and a heuristic approach to incorporate variation in trichome size and environmental temperature. A gradual change towards greater sizes and increased abundances was observed as physical conditions became subtropical. An extreme response was detected at one station (29.8 degrees W, 26.3 degrees N), in which both in situ and remote sensing data revealed the presence of a Trichodesmium bloom. Despite the presence of a mesoscale anticyclonic eddy, a close examination of prior surface conditions using altimeter data indicated that the bloom was related to the advection of southern waters. In general, our results highlighted the importance of free trichomes in Trichodesmium spp. populations in this part of the North Atlantic. Furthermore. they suggested a possible role of both size and population structure on the wide range of NZ fixation estimates currently available in the literature. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available