1. Picophytoplankton biomass distribution in the global ocean
- Author
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Diego Macías, Lisa Campbell, Osvaldo Ulloa, Stéphan Jacquet, Michael W. Lomas, George B. McManus, François Lantoine, Francisco P. Chavez, Michael R. Landry, William K. W. Li, Michel Gosselin, Erik T. Buitenhuis, David M. Karl, Frédéric Partensky, Daniel Vaulot, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia [Norwich] (UEA), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Diversité et Interactions au sein du Plancton Océanique (DIPO), Adaptation et diversité en milieu marin (AD2M), Station biologique de Roscoff [Roscoff] (SBR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Station biologique de Roscoff [Roscoff] (SBR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO - UC San Diego), University of California [San Diego] (UC San Diego), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Procaryotes Phototrophes Marins = MArine Phototrophic Prokaryotes (MAPP), Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Departmento de Oceanografía & Centro de Investigación Oceanográfica en el Pacífico Sur-Oriental, Universidad de Concepción - University of Concepcion [Chile], Department of Oceanography [College Station], Texas A&M University [College Station], Centre Alpin de Recherche sur les Réseaux Trophiques et Ecosystèmes Limniques (CARRTEL), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry]), Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls (OOB), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Department of Coastal Ecology and Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, Institut des Sciences de la MER de Rimouski (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Department of Marine sciences, University of Connecticut (UCONN), U (CarboChange) 264879, Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada-ArcticNet, Adaptation et diversité en milieu marin (ADMM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Station biologique de Roscoff [Roscoff] (SBR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Station biologique de Roscoff [Roscoff] (SBR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California-University of California, MArine Phototrophic Prokaryotes (MAPP), Universidad de Concepción [Chile], and Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Biodiversité et Ecologie ,Distribution (economics) ,picophytoplancton ,01 natural sciences ,Cell size ,Biodiversity and Ecology ,Abundance (ecology) ,Phytoplankton ,14. Life underwater ,biomasse microbienne ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Biomass (ecology) ,océan ,biology ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,lcsh:QE1-996.5 ,Synechococcus ,biology.organism_classification ,Biomass carbon ,lcsh:Geology ,analyse par flux cytométrique ,Oceanography ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Environmental science ,Prochlorococcus ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,business - Abstract
Buitenhuis, Erik et al., The smallest marine phytoplankton, collectively termed picophytoplankton, have been routinely enumerated by flow cytometry since the late 1980s during cruises throughout most of the world ocean. We compiled a database of 40 946 data points, with separate abundance entries for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes. We use average conversion factors for each of the three groups to convert the abundance data to carbon biomass. After gridding with 1° spacing, the database covers 2.4% of the ocean surface area, with the best data coverage in the North Atlantic, the South Pacific and North Indian basins, and at least some data in all other basins. The average picophytoplankton biomass is 12 ± 22 μg C l−1 or 1.9 g C m−2. We estimate a total global picophytoplankton biomass of 0.53–1.32 Pg C (17–39% Prochlorococcus, 12–15% Synechococcus and 49–69% picoeukaryotes), with an intermediate/best estimate of 0.74 Pg C. Future efforts in this area of research should focus on reporting calibrated cell size and collecting data in undersampled regions., We thank Claude Belzile, Jacques Neveux and Genevieve Tremblay for their comments on a draft manuscript, the EU (CarboChange, contract 264879) for financial support to ETB, and the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada-ArcticNet for financial support to MG.
- Published
- 2012