Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Picoplankton Community in the Central and Southern Adriatic Sea

Abstract

Laboratory of Microbiology at the Institute of Oceanography in Split, founded in 1947, covers numerous research in the field of marine microbial ecology. Marine microorganisms, heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs and viruses, are investigated in terms of structure, abundance, biomass, activity, regulation and production, as well as role of the microbial food web in biogeochemical processes in the sea. To assess the above-mentioned parameters, flow cytometry and infrared epifluorescent microscopy are used. Research is carried out in different marine environments, from coastal areas to open sea representing the trophic gradient, and also at estuarine areas, on different time scales. More recently, various grazing experiments are performed to study the bacterial carbon flux through the microbial food web, also in light of the global warming scenario using the experimental impact of temperature increase and phosphate addition on microbial community structure and carbon flux toward higher trophic levels. Understanding the factors driving the picoplankton group distribution and their relative contribution to total picoplankton biomass is essential for understanding the dynamics of the ecosystem. Thus, we present an overview of the results of many surveys on the microbial community in the Central and Southern Adriatic Sea.