Highly-resolved interannual phytoplankton community dynamics of the coastal Northwest Atlantic

Abstract

Microbial observatories can track phytoplankton at frequencies that resolve monthly, seasonal, and multiyear trends in environmental change from short-lived events. Using 4-years of weekly flow cytometry along with chloroplast and cyanobacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence data from a time-series station in the coastal Northwest Atlantic (Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada), we analyzed temporal observations for globally-relevant genera (e.g., Bolidomonas, Teleaulax, Minidiscus, Chaetoceros, Synechococcus, and Phaeocystis) in an oceanic region that has been recognized as a likely hotspot for phytoplankton diversity. Contemporaneous Scotian Shelf data also collected during our study established that the major phytoplankton within the Bedford Basin were important in the Scotian Shelf during spring and fall, therefore pointing to their broader significance within the coastal Northwest Atlantic (NWA). Temporal trends revealed a subset of indicator taxa along with their DNA signatures (e.g., Eutreptiella and Synechococcus), whose distribution patterns make them essential for timely detection of environmentally-driven shifts in the NWA. High-resolution sampling was key to identifying important community shifts towards smaller phytoplankton under anomalous environmental conditions, while further providing a detailed molecular view of community compositions underpinning general phytoplankton succession within the coastal NWA. Our study demonstrates the importance of accessible coastal time-series sites where high-frequency DNA sampling allows for the detection of shifting baselines in phytoplankton communities.