Potential role of large oceanic diatoms in new primary production

Abstract

Very large phytoplankton species >50 μm in size, particularly diatoms, generally are found in background numbers throughout the euphotic zone of oceanic waters. Yet, when responding to episodic injections of new nutrients across the nutricline at the base of the euphotic zone these phototrophs may make a disproportionately large contribution to new primary production. To test this concept, we isolated a group of large diatoms from the Sargasso Sea and found that the specific growth rate of several of these species in culture was great enough at the ≈2% light level in oligotrophic waters to meet the requirements of several hypothetical scenarios in which annual rates of new production from the sum of one or more episodic blooms were equal to contemporary estimates. Two of the fast-growing species, Stephanopyxis palmeriana (Greville) Grunow and Pseudoguinardia recta von Stosch, formed giant flocculant masses while growing. Such masses could sink rapidly out of the euphotic zone or be a direct food source for invertebrates or fish higher up the food chain. Not only would a short, simple trophic system with low losses result, but the events would virtually be impossible to observe with conventional sampling.