Abstract
Aquatic phytoplankton experience large fluctuations in environmental conditions during seasonal succession and across salinity gradients, but the impact of this variation on their diversity is poorly understood. We examined spatio-temporal variation in nano- and microphytoplankton (> 2 µm) community structure using almost two decades of light-microscope based monitoring data. The dataset encompasses 19 stations that span a salinity gradient from 2.8 to 35 along the Swedish coastline. Spatially, both regional and local phytoplankton diversity increased with broad-scale salinity variation. Diatoms dominated at high salinity and the proportion of cyanobacteria increased with decreasing salinity. Temporally, cell abundance peaked in winter-spring at high salinity but in summer at low salinity. This was likely due to large filamentous cyanobacteria blooms that occur in summer in low salinity areas, but which are absent in higher salinities. In contrast, phytoplankton local diversity peaked in spring at low salinity but in fall and winter at high salinity. Whilst differences in seasonal variation in cell abundance were reasonably well-explained by variation in salinity and nutrient availability, variation in local-scale phytoplankton diversity was poorly predicted by environmental variables. Overall, we provide insights into the causes of spatio-temporal variation in coastal phytoplankton community structure while also identifying knowledge gaps.
Highlights
Phytoplankton are a diverse group of unicellular, photosynthetic micro-organisms
Pelagic ecosystems subject to eutrophication are frequently dominated by just a few phytoplankton taxa which are characterised by high primary productivity and nitrogen fixation[9]
Γ biodiversity was measured as species richness and effective number of species (ENS) and refers to the total phytoplankton diversity for each station across all monthly samples
Summary
Phytoplankton are a diverse group of unicellular, photosynthetic micro-organisms. Due to their short generation times, high growth rates and dispersal abilities, phytoplankton are largely cosmopolitan and have colonized almost all photic aquatic e nvironments[1]. The world’s oceans are currently changing r apidly[3,4], but our understanding of the consequences for phytoplankton biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are limited. Pelagic ecosystems subject to eutrophication are frequently dominated by just a few phytoplankton taxa (e.g. large algal blooms of filamentous cyanobacteria) which are characterised by high primary productivity and nitrogen fixation[9]. Global phytoplankton diversity is dominated by diatoms and dinoflagellates (in terms of described species)[11] which are generally well-adapted to high salinity conditions. Nutrient availability can shape phytoplankton community composition, which has been shown, for example, in certain regions of the Baltic S ea[21]
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