Effects of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen on the Growth of Dominant Phytoplankton in the Southwestern Part of East Sea in Late Summer

Abstract

We investigated the distribution of dissolved nutrients, phytoplankton community structure and utilization of nitrogen compounds by dominant species in the southwestern part of East Sea in September, 2014. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) were lower in the surface layer, and concentrations were increased with depth. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus were the opposite of dissolved inorganic nutrients. Although DIN DIP ratio in all of the water masses was higher than Redfield ratio (16), DIN : DIP ratio in mixed layer was about 2, indicating that inorganic nitrogen is the limiting factor for the growth of phytoplankton. In particular, DON proportion in dissolved total nitrogen was about 88 % in the mixed layer where inorganic nitrogen is limiting factor. The dominant species Chaeotceros debilis and Prorocentrum minimum were able to grow using DIN as well as DON such as urea and amino acids. Therefore, DON utilization of phytoplankton may play a role as a survival strategy in the DIN-limited conditions of East Sea.