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From the afternoon of February 8th to the late morning of February 15th 2016, CAGE at the Department of Geology Uit, the Arctic University of Norway, arranged a scientific cruise aimed at investigating water masses and planktonic faunas at the western Svalbard margin and western Barents Sea slope, also visiting methane seep sites off Vestnesa Ridge, Prins Karls Forland (PKF) and in Storfjorden Trough on R/V “Helmer Hanssen”. Investigated areas were (in order of visiting sites on the cruise): PKF, Storfjorden Fan, Storfjorden Trough, Bjørnøya Trough Mouth Fan, north, mid and south and the slope off Troms (off Malangen). Seep sites at Vestnesa Ridge were abandoned because of bad weather conditions. The scientific sampling was done within the framework of several ongoing projects at the Department of Geology, University of Tromsø: “CAGE – Centre for Arctic Gashydrate, Environment and Climate”. A total of 1 boxcore, 8 plankton net (4 multinet and 4 plankton net) casts and 14 CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) casts were performed along the route from western Svalbard to Norway along the western Barents Sea slope. Data were also collected in Storfjorden Trough and Storfjorden – no sea ice yet. Chirp profiles and multibeam lines were acquired during transits and in Storfjorden. The cruise may be known as: CAGE16_1

From the morning of June 23rd to the morning of June 30th 2022, the Department of Geosciences at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, arranged a scientific cruise on R/V “Helmer Hanssen aimed at sampling living planktic foraminifera (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Globigerina bulloides) for culturing experiments both onboard and continued at the culturing laboratory at the Department. The purpose is to investigate the physiological and calcification responses of this species to a wide range of temperature, salinity and carbonate chemistry as well as to establish Arctic-tailored proxy calibrations for paleoceanography reconstructions

From the morning of June 28th to the morning of July 3rd 2021, the Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, arranged a scientific cruise on R/V “Helmer Hanssen aimed at sampling living planktic foraminifera (primarily Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) for culturing experiments both onboard and continued at the culturing laboratory at the Department. The purpose is to investigate the physiological and calcification responses of this species to a wide range of temperature, salinity and carbonate chemistry as well as to establish proxy calibration for paleoceanographic reconstructions. The cruise may be known as: CAGE21_2

With ongoing warming and sea ice loss, the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas as a habitat for pelagic calcifiers are changing, possibly resulting in modifications of the regional carbonate cycle and the composition of the seafloor sediment. A substantial part of the pelagic carbonate production in the Arctic is due to the calcification of the dominant planktonic foraminifera species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma. To quantify carbonate production and loss in the upper water layer by this important Arctic calcifier, we compile and analyse data from vertical profiles in the upper water column of shell number concentration, sizes and weights of this species across the Arctic region during summer. Our data are inconclusive on whether the species performs ontogenetic vertical migration throughout its life cycle or whether individual specimens calcify at a fixed depth within the vertical habitat. The base of the productive zone of the species is on average located below 100 m and at maximum at 300 m and is regionally highly variable. The calcite flux immediately below the productive zone (export flux) is on average 8 mg CaCO3 m−2 d−1, and we observe that this flux is attenuated until at least 300 m below the base of the productive zone by a mean rate of 6.6 % per 100 m. Regionally, the summer export flux of N. pachyderma calcite varies by more than 2 orders of magnitude, and the estimated mean export flux below the twilight zone is sufficient to account for about a quarter of the total pelagic carbonate flux in the region. These results indicate that estimates of the Arctic pelagic carbonate budget will have to account for large regional differences in the export flux of the major pelagic calcifiers and confirm that substantial attenuation of the export flux occurs in the twilight zone.

Marine zooplankton time series are crucial to understand the dynamics of pelagic ecosystems. However, most observational time series are only a few decades long, which limits our understanding of long-term zooplankton dynamics, renders attribution of observed trends to global change ambiguous, and hampers prediction of future response to environmental change. Planktonic foraminifera are calcifying marine zooplankton that have the unique potential to substantially extend our view on plankton dynamics because their skeletal remains are preserved for millions of years in deep-sea sediments. Thus, linking sedimentary and modern time series offers great potential to study zooplankton dynamics across time scales not accessible by direct observations. However, this link is rarely made and the potential of planktonic foraminifera for advancing our understanding of zooplankton dynamics remains underexploited. This underutilization of this potential to bridge time scales is mainly because of the lack of collaboration between biologists, who have mostly focused on other (zoo)plankton, and micropalaeontologists, who have focussed too narrowly on fossil foraminifera. With this food for thought article, we aim to highlight the unique potential of planktonic foraminifera to bridge the gap between biology and geology. We strongly believe that such collaboration has large benefits to both scientific communities.

Ongoing changes in the Arctic cryosphere and ocean circulation have significant implications for regional and global climate. Past records of cryosphere-ocean-climate provide invaluable context to gain insight into future climate scenarios. However, a lack of robust proxy calibrations remains a challenge in studying Arctic Ocean palaeoceanography. To this end, we have conducted culturing experiments on the polar foraminifera species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma to establish a proxy toolbox for freshwater dynamics and other surface ocean hydrographic conditions at high latitudes. We are exploring the potential of element ratios, including Na/Ca, B/Ca and Ba/Ca as proxies for salinity, carbonate chemistry, and barium content respectively. We are also aiming to calibrate Mg/Ca for low temperature applicable to the polar environment (More than 1 000 healthy, juvenile specimens of N. pachyderma were picked from plankton tow samples from the Greenland Sea (~74°N, ~2°E). These were placed into twelve treatments which were determined relative to (ambient) field conditions and a realistic range of past and future conditions: Salinity from 30 to 37.5 ‰, pH from 7.7 to 8.3 (total scale), temperature from 2 to 7°C, as well as variable barium concentration.We observed calcification of new chambers and addition of crust (thick outer calcite) in all treatments. Growth rate was not linear, with extended periods without apparent calcification. Overall, we observed low mortality across all treatments prior to ending the experiments. Several specimens, initially described as dead (e.g., white cytoplasm, absent rhizopodial activity), recovered (with colourful cytoplasm, extensive rhizopodial network, feeding etc.) in subsequent weeks testifying their ability to adapt to and/or recover from stressed conditions. We also observed several events of asexual reproduction. These observations suggest that N. pachyderma can adapt to, and calcify at, a wide range of conditions, which has implications for the species’ response to ongoing ocean warming and acidification, as well as for future studies aiming to culture N. pachyderma.We are in the process of analysing elemental ratios in the culture-grown calcite of N. pachyderma using Time of Flight LA-ICP-MS. The addition of crust in all our treatments potentially allow to establish separate laboratory-based calibrations for the ‘crust’ and ‘ontogenetic calcite’ components of N. pachyderma test. This will significantly improve the applicability of the proxy calibrations as well as our understanding of crust formation in this species.

Planktonic foraminifera, marine protists and calcifiers, are globally responsible for about one quarter of the global pelagic calcite flux, but their contribution to it in the subarctic and Arctic realm has not been fully resolved. With ongoing warming and sea ice loss, the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas are becoming more hospitable to pelagic calcifiers like planktonic foraminifera, resulting in modifications of the regional carbonate cycle and the composition of the seafloor sediment. To quantify planktonic foraminifera Arctic calcite production and loss in the upper water layer, we compile and analyze data on the dominant planktonic foraminifera species of the Arctic realm, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, from vertical profiles in the upper water column. Using summertime observations of shell concentrations, sizes and weights of this species across the Arctic, we calculate the base of the productive zone of N. pachyderma to be regionally highly variable, on average located at 125 m, at maximum at 300 m. The calcite flux immediately below the productive zone (production flux) is on average 8 mg CaCO3 m-2 d-1, and we observe that this flux is attenuated until at least 300 m below the base of the productive zone. Across the Arctic realm, the summer production flux of N. pachyderma calcite varies by more than two orders of magnitude and the estimated mean export flux below the twilight zone is sufficient to account for about a quarter of the total pelagic carbonate flux in the region. These results indicate that estimates of the Arctic pelagic carbonate budget will have to account for large regional differences in production flux of the major pelagic calcifiers and confirm that substantial attenuation of the production flux occurs in the twilight zone.

It has long been assumed that the population dynamics of planktonic foraminifera is characterised by synchronous reproduction associated with ontogenetic vertical migration. However, due to contradictory observations, this concept became controversial and subsequent studies provided evidence both in favor and against these phenomena. Here we present new observations from replicated vertically resolved profiles of abundance and shell size variation in four species of planktonic foraminifera from the tropical Atlantic to test for the presence, pattern and extent of synchronised reproduction and ontogenetic vertical migration in this oceanic region. Specimens of Globigerinita glutinata, Globigerinoides ruber ruber, Globorotalia menardii and Orbulina universa were collected over the first 700 m resolved at nine depth intervals at nine stations over a period of 14 days. Dead specimens were systematically observed irrespective of the depth interval, sampling day and size. Conversely, specimens in the smaller size fractions dominated the sampled populations at all times and were recorded at all depths indicating that reproduction might have occurred continuously and throughout the occupied part of the water column. However, a closer look at the vertical and temporal size distribution of specimens within each species revealed an overrepresentation of large specimens in depths at the beginning of the sampling (shortly after the full moon) and an overrepresentation of small individuals in surface and subsurface by the end of the sampling (around new moon). These observations imply that a disproportionately large portion of the population followed for each species a canonical reproductive trajectory, which involved synchronised reproduction and ontogenetic vertical migration with the descent of progressively maturing individuals. This concept is consistent with the initial observations from the Red Sea, on which the reproductive dynamics of planktonic foraminifera has been modelled. Our data extend this model to non-spinose and microperforate symbiont-bearing species, but contrary to the extension of the initial observations on other species of foraminifera, we cannot provide evidence for ontogenetic vertical migration with ascent during maturation. We also show that more than half of the population does not follow the canonical trajectory, which helps to reconcile the existing contrasting observations. Our results imply that the flux of empty shells of planktonic foraminifera in the open ocean should be pulsed, with disproportionately large amounts of disproportionately large specimens being delivered in pulses caused by synchronised reproduction. The presence of a large population reproducing outside of the canonical trajectory implies that individual foraminifera in a fossil sample will record in the calcite of their shells a range of habitat trajectories, with the canonical trajectory emerging statistically from a substantial background range.

Individual foraminifera analysis (IFA) holds promise to reconstruct seasonal to interannual oceanographic variability. Even though planktonic foraminifera are reliable recorders of environmental conditions on a population level, whether they also are on the level of individuals is unknown. Yet, one of the main assumptions underlying IFA is that each specimen records ocean conditions with negligible noise. Here we test this assumption using stable isotope data measured on groups of four shells of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma from a 16–19 d resolution sediment trap time series from the subpolar North Atlantic. We find a within-sample variability of 0.11 ‰ and 0.10 ‰ for δ18O and δ13C respectively that shows no seasonal pattern and exceeds water column variability in spring when conditions are homogeneous down to hundreds of metres. We assess the possible effect of life cycle characteristics and delay due to settling on foraminifera δ18O variability with simulations using temperature and δ18Oseawater as input. These simulations indicate that the observed δ18O variability can only partially be explained by environmental variability. Individual N. pachyderma are thus imperfect recorders of temperature and δ18Oseawater. Based on these simulations, we estimate the excess noise on δ18O to be 0.11±0.06 ‰. The origin and nature of the recording imprecision require further work, but our analyses highlight the need to take such excess noise into account when interpreting the geochemical variability among individual foraminifera.

Planktic foraminifera and shelled pteropods are some of the major producers of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean. Their calcitic (foraminifera) and aragonitic (pteropods) shells are particularly sensitive to changes in the carbonate chemistry and play an important role for the inorganic and organic carbon pump of the ocean. Here, we have studied the abundance distribution of planktic foraminifera and pteropods (individuals m–3) and their contribution to the inorganic and organic carbon standing stocks (μg m–3) and export production (mg m–2day–1) along a longitudinal transect north of Svalbard at 81° N, 22–32° E, in the Arctic Ocean. This transect, sampled in September 2018 consists of seven stations covering different oceanographic regimes, from the shelf to the slope and into the deep Nansen Basin. The sea surface temperature ranged between 1 and 5°C in the upper 300 m. Conditions were supersaturated with respect to CaCO3(Ω > 1 for both calcite and aragonite). The abundance of planktic foraminifera ranged from 2.3 to 52.6 ind m–3and pteropods from 0.1 to 21.3 ind m–3. The planktic foraminiferal population was composed mainly of the polar speciesNeogloboquadrina pachyderma(55.9%) and the subpolar speciesTurborotalita quinqueloba(21.7%),Neogloboquadrina incompta(13.5%) andGlobigerina bulloides(5.2%). The pteropod population was dominated by the polar speciesLimacina helicina(99.6%). The rather high abundance of subpolar foraminiferal species is likely connected to the West Spitsbergen Current bringing warm Atlantic water to the study area. Pteropods dominated at the surface and subsurface. Below 100 m water depth, foraminifera predominated. Pteropods contribute 66–96% to the inorganic carbon standing stocks compared to 4–34% by the planktic foraminifera. The inorganic export production of planktic foraminifera and pteropods together exceeds their organic contribution by a factor of 3. The overall predominance of pteropods over foraminifera in this high Arctic region during the sampling period suggest that inorganic standing stocks and export production of biogenic carbonate would be reduced under the effects of ocean acidification.

Diurnal vertical migration (DVM) is a widespread phenomenon in the upper ocean, but it remains unclear to what degree it also involves passively transported micro- and meso-zooplankton. These organisms are difficult to monitor by in situ sensing and observations from discrete samples are often inconclusive. Prime examples of such ambiguity are planktonic foraminifera, where contradictory evidence for DVM continues to cast doubt on the stability of species vertical habitats, which introduces uncertainties in geochemical proxy interpretation. To provide a robust answer, we carried out highly replicated randomized sampling with 41 vertically resolved plankton net hauls taken within 26 hours in a confined area of 400 km2 in the tropical North Atlantic, where DVM in larger plankton occurs. Manual enumeration of planktonic foraminifera cell density consistently reveals the highest total cell concentrations in the surface mixed layer (top 50 m) and analysis of cell density in seven individual species representing different shell sizes, life strategies and presumed depth habitats reveals consistent vertical habitats not changing over the 26 hours sampling period. These observations robustly reject the existence of DVM in planktonic foraminifera in a setting where DVM occurs in other organisms.

This study reports on diversity and distribution of planktonic foraminifera (PF) in the Barents Sea Opening (BSO). Populations of PF living in late summer (collected by means of stratified plankton tows) and recently deposited individuals (sampled by interface corer) were compared. High abundances reaching up to 400 ind.m-3 in tow samples and 8000 ind.m-3 in surface sediments were recorded in the centre of the studied area while low abundances were observed in coastal areas, likely due to continental influences. The living and core-top assemblages are mainly composed of the same four species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, Neogloboquadrina incompta, Turborotalita quinqueloba and Globigerinita uvula. The two species G. uvula and T. quinqueloba dominate the upper water column, whereas surface sediment assemblages display particularly high concentrations of N. pachyderma. The unusual dominance of G. uvula in the water sample assemblages compared to its low proportion in surface sediments might be the signature of (1) a seasonal signal due to summer phytoplankton composition changes at the BSO, linked to the increase in summer temperature at the study site, and/or (2) a signal of a larger timescale and wider geographical reach phenomenon reflecting poleward temperate/subpolar species migration and consecutive foraminiferal assemblage diversification at high latitudes due to global change. Protein concentrations were measured on single specimens and used as a proxy of individual carbon biomass. Specimens of all species show the same trend, a northward decrease in their size-normalized-protein concentration. This suggests that foraminiferal biomass is potentially controlled by different constituents of their organelles (e.g. lipids). The coupling of data from plankton tows, protein measurements and surface sediments allows us to hypothesize that PF dynamics (seasonality and distribution) are decoupled from their metabolism.

Foraminiferal Na/Ca in planktonic and benthic foraminifers is a promising new method to assess directly past seawater salinities, which complements existing approaches (e.g., paired shell Mg/Ca and δ18O, shell Ba/Ca). Recent culture and field calibration studies have shown a significant positive relationship of Na incorporation into foraminiferal calcite shells with increasing salinity [1, 2], as confirmed by our culture study of Trilobatus sacculifer [3]. However, we note that the sensitivity of Na/Ca in response to salinity changes is species-specific and regional dependent, whereas temperature could be excluded as a secondary influencing factor [2, 3, 5]. Na/Ca values vary from 1–3 mmol/mol for the same salinity within and between foraminiferal species, suggesting a dominant biological control. To further evaluate the robustness of Na/Ca for its application as a reliable proxy, we here examine possible secondary controls on foraminiferal Na/Ca with new data for commonly used species for paleoreconstructions (Globigerinoides elongatus, G. ruber (pink), Orbulina universa, Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei) collected by plankton tows in the eastern tropical North Atlantic during R/V Meteor cruise M140. We performed laser ablation ICP-MS measurements on single foraminiferal shells from depth-resolved plankton tows in 20 m net-intervals from locations where salinity was essentially constant, while seawater pH and total alkalinity differed by ~0.5 and 100 µmol/kg, respectively. Plankton tow samples provide new insights into the possible effects of natural variations in carbonate system parameters on Na incorporation into calcite tests with increasing water depth. The comparison of living foraminifers to sedimentary shells gives further information about the preservation state of Na/Ca in calcite shells over time, whereas fossil shells have mostly undergone gametogenesis during their life-time, or were affected post mortem by early diagenesis (sedimentation) processes. Those foraminifers were collected from surface sediments (M65-1) located in proximity to plankton tows. Our results show that all measured species, either from plankton tows or buried in the sediment, are within the Na/Ca range of previous studies [1-5], which increases the confidence for a robust Na/Ca to salinity proxy. However, the offset of ~2-5 mmol/mol between living foraminifers collected in surface waters (0-20 m) and fossil assemblages of the same species could be related to spine loss at the end of a foraminiferal life cycle [4]. In addition, the usage of inconsistent test sizes could further influence the foraminiferal Na/Ca signal. Our results reveal significant (R = -0.97, p) decreasing Na/Ca values with increasing test sizes between 180-250 µm for G. ruber (pink, white), N. dutertei and T. sacculifer, whereas values increase again with larger size classes >355 µm (R = 0.87, p [1] Wit et al. (2013) Biogeosciences 10, 6375-6387. [2] Mezger et al. (2016) Paleoceanography 31, 1562-1582. [3] Bertlich et al. (2018) Biogeosciences 15, 5991–6018.[4] Mezger et al. (2019) Biogeosciences 16, 1147-1165, 2019. [5] Allen et al. (2016) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 193, 197-221.

Although the plankton communities in the Barents Sea have been intensely studied for decades, little is known about the living planktonic foraminiferal (LPF) and pteropod faunas, especially those found at methane seep sites. Along a repeated transect in the “crater area” (northern Barents Sea, 74.9°N, 27.7°E) in spring and summer 2016 the flux of LPF and of the pteropod species Limacina helicina showed a high degree of variability. The LPF had low concentration (0–6 individuals m−3) and small tests (x̄ = 103.3 μm) in spring and a 53‐fold increase (43–436 individuals m−3) and larger tests (x̄ = 188.6 μm) in summer. Similarly, the concentration of L. helicina showed a tenfold increase between spring and summer. The LPF species composition remained stable with the exception of the appearance of subtropical species in summer. No relationship was observed between the spatial distribution of LPF, L. helicina, and methane concentrations in the area. The methane plumes in April coincided with elevated dissolved inorganic carbon, low pH, and calcium carbonate saturation states, and the methane concentration seemed to be controlled by lateral advection. The δ13C and δ18O of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Turborotalita quinqueloba are comparable to previous observations in the Arctic and do not show any influence of methane in the isotopic signals of the shells. Although no evidence of direct impact of high methane concentrations on the LPF (size and concentration) were found, we speculate that methane could indirectly enhance primary productivity, and thus biomass, through several potential pathways.

International audience; Planktonic foraminiferal species identification is central to many paleoceanographic studies, from selecting species for geochemical research to elucidating the biotic dynamics of microfossil communities relevant to physical oceanographic processes and interconnected phenomena such as climate change. However, few resources exist to train students in the difficult task of discerning amongst closely related species, resulting in diverging taxonomic schools that differ in species concepts and boundaries. This problem is exacerbated by the limited number of taxonomic experts. Here we document our initial progress toward removing these confounding and/or rate-limiting factors by generating the first extensive image library of modern planktonic foraminifera, providing digital taxonomic training tools and resources, and automating species-level taxonomic identification of planktonic foraminifera via machine learning using convolution neural networks. Experts identified 34,640 images of modern (extant) planktonic foraminifera to the species level. These images are served as species exemplars through the online portal Endless Forams (endlessforams.org) and a taxonomic training portal hosted on the citizen science platform Zooniverse (zooniverse.org/projects/ahsiang/ endless-forams/). A supervised machine learning classifier was then trained with~27,000 images of these identified planktonic foraminifera. The best-performing model provided the correct species name for an image in the validation set 87.4% of the time and included the correct name in its top three guesses 97.7% of the time. Together, these resources provide a rigorous set of training tools in modern planktonic foraminiferal taxonomy and a means of rapidly generating assemblage data via machine learning in future studies for applications such as paleotemperature reconstruction.

International audience; Planktonic foraminifer tests are major archives of environmental change and provide a multitude of proxies in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. The application of such proxies is contingent upon a collaborative effort to better understand how the living organisms record the properties of their environment and how the resulting signals are recorded in marine sediments. In this contribution, we provide a review of the rapidly developing sub-fields of research, where new advances have been made possibleby technological developments, and by cross-disciplinary work of the scientific community. Following brief historical overviews of the sub-fields, we discuss the latest advances in planktonic foraminifer research and highlight the resulting new perspectives in ocean and climate research. Natural classification based on consistent species concepts forms the basis for analysis of any foraminifer-derived proxy. New approaches in taxonomy and phylogeny of Cenozoic planktonic foraminifers (Section 2) are presented, highlighting new perspectives on sensitivity and response of planktonic foraminifers to the changing climate and environment (Section 4). Calibration of foraminifer-specific data and environmental parameters is improving along with the technical development of probes and the access to samples from the natural environment (Section 3), enhancing our understanding of the ever-changing climate and ocean system. Comprehension of sedimentation and flux dynamics facilitates maximum gain of information from fossil assemblages (Section 5). Subtle changes in the physical (e.g., temperature), chemical (e.g., pH), and biological (e.g., food) conditions of ambient seawater affect the abundance of species and composition of assemblages as well as the chemical composition of the foraminifer shell and provide increasingly-detailed proxy data on paleoenvironments (Section 6).

International audience; Eight SSU rDNA genetic types have been described in the planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, but the level of correlation between genetic diversity and morphological variation remains unknown in this morphospecies. In this study, we combine molecular and morphometric analyses of specimens of N. pachyderma sampled during two consecutive years across a latitudinal gradient in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. We observe that three genetic types of N. pachyderma inhabit the (sub-)polar waters of the southern Indian Ocean where they have equivalent regional distributions to those previously observed in the South Atlantic. The geographic ranges of these genetic types are largely overlapping. Our morphometric data show that contrary to other planktonic foraminiferal morphospecies, there is no relationship between genetic diversity and morpho- logical di␣erentiation in at least two of the austral representatives of N. pachyderma (Type III and Type IV) despite a high morphological variability and large genetic distance between these types. These genetic types of N. pachyderma in the southern Indian Ocean thus constitute true cryptic species of planktonic foraminifera.

Calcifying marine organisms include planktic foraminifers that contribute to the marine carbon turnover by generating inorganic carbon production (CaCO 3 , shell) and flux. In this study, we have analyzed assemblages at the morphospecies level and abundances of living planktic foraminifers (LPF) from ten stations located in the Southwest Indian Ocean, and sampled in austral summer 2012. LPF density ranges from zero in the Subtropical Zone (STZ) to 944 individuals m −3 in the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ), and is composed by up to 80% by the four species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma , Neogloboquadrina incompta , Globigerina bulloides, and Globigerinita uvula . For the entire region, we measured the individual morphometry and test mass (CaCO 3 ) of 454 tests of living planktic foraminifers in order to calculate inorganic carbon standing stocks, as well as carbon flux. In the STZ, the average daily planktic foraminifer CaCO 3 flux at 100 m water depth is low ( −2 d −1 ), whereas south of the Sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ), in the PFZ and Antarctic Zone (AAZ), it reaches up to 49.41 mg m −2 d −1 , and 2.20 mg m −2 d −1 , respectively. The large regional variability in CaCO 3 production and flux of LPF assemblages affects the marine carbonate system to varying degrees, depending on hydrological conditions. We conclude that recent changes in the position of hydrological fronts could induce a decrease in the LPF-related carbonate counter pump, which increases the oceanic uptake of CO 2 , and counteracts climate warming.

International audience; Planktic foraminifers can be sensitive indicators of the changing environment including both the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean. Due to variability in their ecology, biology, test characteristics, and fossil preservation in marine sediments, they serve as valuable archives in paleoceanography and climate geochemistry over the geologic time scale. Foraminifers are sensitive to, and can therefore provide proxy data on ambient water temperature, salinity, carbonate chemistry, and trophic conditions through shifts in assemblage (species) composition and the shell chemistry of individual specimens. Production and dissolution of the calcareous shell, as well as growth and remineralization of the cytoplasm, affect the carbonate counter pump and to a lesser extent the soft-tissue pump, at varying regional and temporal scales. Diversity of planktic foraminifers in polar waters is low in comparison to lower latitudes and is limited to three native species: Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, Turborotalita quinqueloba, and Globigerina bulloides, of which N. pachyderma is best adapted to polar conditions in the surface ocean. Neogloboquadrina pachyderma hibernates in brine channels in the lower layers of the Antarctic sea ice, a strategy that is presently undescribed in the Arctic. In open Antarctic and Arctic surface waters T. quinqueloba and G. bulloides increase in abundance at lower polar to subpolar latitudes and Globigerinita uvula, Turborotalita humilis, Globigerinita glutinata, Globorotalia inflata, and Globorotalia crassaformis complement the assemblages. Over the past two to three decades there has been a marked increase in the abundance of Orcadia riedeli and G. uvula in the subpolar and polar Indian Ocean, as well as in the northern North Atlantic. This paper presents a review of the knowledge of polar and subpolar planktic foraminifers. Particular emphasis is placed on the response of foraminifers to modern warming and ocean acidification at high latitudes and the implications for data interpretation in paleoceanography and paleoclimate research.

International audience; We report the contribution of planktic foraminifers and coccoliths to the particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) export fluxes collected over an annual cycle (October 2011/September 2012) on the central Kerguelen Plateau in the Antarctic Zone (AAZ) south of the Polar Front (PF). The seasonality of PIC flux was decoupled from surface chlorophyll a concentration and particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes and was characterized by a late summer (February) maximum. This peak was concomitant with the highest satellite-derived sea surface PIC and corresponded to a Emiliania huxleyi coccoliths export event that accounted for 85% of the annual PIC export. The foraminifer contribution to the annual PIC flux was much lower (15%) and dominated by Turborotalita quinqueloba and Neogloboquadrina pachyderma. Foraminifer export fluxes were closely related to the surface chlorophyll a concentration, suggesting food availability as an important factor regulating the foraminifer's biomass. We compared size-normalized test weight (SNW) of the foraminifers with previously published SNW from the Crozet Islands using the same methodology and found no significant difference in SNW between sites for a given species. However, the SNW was significantly species-specific with a threefold increase from T. quinqueloba to Globigerina bulloides. The annual PIC:POC molar ratio of 0.07 was close to the mean ratio for the global ocean and lead to a low carbonate counter pump effect (~5%) compared to a previous study north of the PF (6–32%). We suggest that lowers counter pump effect south of the PF despite similar productivity levels is due to a dominance of coccoliths in the PIC fluxes and a difference in the foraminifers species assemblage with a predominance of polar species with lower SNW.

International audience; Within the framework of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Southern Ocean-Continuous Plankton Recorder (SO-CPR) Survey, the oceanic regions around Crozet and Kerguelen Islands were investigated in February–March 2013. Living planktonic Foraminifera (LPF) were collected in the upper mixed layer with a CPR along a 2160 nautical mile sea transect that crossed main hydrological fronts in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. In the SO-CPR database, mean total abundances of Foraminifera occurring during late austral summer are highly variable at an inter-annual scale, from 10 to 250 ind.m−3, representing 10–40% of the total zooplankton abundance, respectively. In the Southern Ocean, major inter-annual changes in zooplankton community structure were already reported. In this study, we describe the large scale distributional pattern of individual planktonic foraminiferal species living in near-surface waters of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, and we attempt to explain why major spatial variability in relative species abundances occurs during a late austral summer.In February–March 2013, LPF total abundances recorded between 42.86°S and 56.42°S ranged from 0 to a maximum of 258 ind.m−3. In the Open Ocean Zone, the LPF community was composed of four major species (Globigerinita uvula, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, Neogloboquadrina incompta, Globigerina bulloides). Generally, LPF total abundances are supposed to mirror primary production induced by hydrological fronts or induced by topography near Crozet and Kerguelen Islands. However, during late austral summer 2013, high foraminiferal abundances in the upper mixed layer did not always match the pattern of near-surface primary production (high Chl-a concentration areas delineated from satellite imagery). Low LPF standing stocks in late austral summer in the Southern Ocean contrasted with the presence of high densities of heavily silicified diatoms. This suggests that the late bloom production is not a suitable resource for planktonic Foraminifera. Consequently, LPF regional distribution in the upper mixed layer cannot be directly reconstructed from Chl-a concentration maps derived from satellite imagery. Knowledge of phytoplankton community composition is needed to understand the impact of primary production on foraminiferal population dynamics. Our results also emphasize that the polar/subpolar foraminiferal assemblages are characterized by high abundances of G. uvula in the iron-enriched waters surrounding the French Sub-Antarctic Islands. This species might react either to coastal or late summer production in high latitudes.

Coastal marine waters in many regions worldwide support abundant populations of extremely small (1-3 mu m diameter) unicellular eukaryotic green algae, dominant taxa including several species in the class Mamiellophyceae. Their diminutive size conceals surprising levels of genetic diversity and defies classical species' descriptions. We present a detailed analysis within the genus Ostreococcus and show that morphological characteristics cannot be used to describe diversity within this group. Karyotypic analyses of the best-characterized species O. tauri show it to carry two chromosomes that vary in size between individual clonal lines, probably an evolutionarily ancient feature that emerged before species' divergences within the Mamiellales. By using a culturing technique specifically adapted to members of the genus Ostreococcus, we purified >30 clonal lines of a new species, Ostreococcus mediterraneus sp. nov., previously known as Ostreococcus clade D, that has been overlooked in several studies based on PCR-amplification of genetic markers from environment-extracted DNA. Phylogenetic analyses of the S-adenosylmethionine synthetase gene, and of the complete small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, including detailed comparisons of predicted ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer 2) secondary structures, clearly support that this is a separate species. In addition, karyotypic analyses reveal that the chromosomal location of its ribosomal RNA gene cluster differs from other Ostreococcus clades. (c) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.