Temporal variations in diatom abundance and downward vertical flux in the oligotrophic North Pacific gyre

Abstract

The abundance of diatoms in the water column and the downward vertical flux of diatom cells from the euphotic zone were investigated during a time series of 11 monthly cruises (June 1994–July 1995) to Station ALOHA (22°45′N, 158°00′W) as one component of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) Program. The diatom community was studied using light microscopy and by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pigment analyses. Distinct diatom assemblages were found in the mixed-layer and in the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum Layer (DCML). Diatom cell abundances in the water column were generally low during the year, except in July 1994, when they increased in the upper euphotic layer. Two lightly silicified species ( Hemiaulus hauckii [Grunow] and Mastogloia woodiana [Taylor]) were mainly responsible for this increase. Other less abundant diatom species present in the mixed-layer assemblage showed a similar temporal pattern. H. hauckii contained Richelia-type endosymbionts with heterocysts and was presumably able to fix dinitrogen. Both species of diatoms also were an important component of the vertical diatom flux out of the euphotic zone, which, likewise, was highest in July 1994. During this maximum export period, aggregates of these two species were collected in the drifting sediment traps. In the DCML, diatom abundances and export were low throughout the year, with the exception of one genus ( Pseudonitzschia) for which a slight concentration increase was observed in spring. Reflecting the observed diatom cell abundance and vertical flux, fucoxanthin concentrations (a pigment marker for diatoms) did not indicate any significant increase of diatom pigment biomass in the DCML during the year. Ratios of diadinoxanthin to chromophyte pigments suggested that the phytoplankton cells sinking out of the euphotic zone in midsummer originated from the mixed-layer. The attenuation of the pigment vertical fluxes with depth was significantly lower for fucoxanthin, indicating a generally slower decay of diatom flux with depth compared with other phytoplankton groups. Our findings suggest that, in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean, summer conditions seem to favor the development of selected species of diatoms in the mixed-layer and that these assemblages appear to be more important with regard to export production than those in the DCML.