Haptophyte Species Research Articles

Group 2i Isochrysidales thrive in marine and lacustrine systems with ice cover

Global warming is causing rapid changes to the cryosphere. Predicting the future trajectory of the cryosphere requires quantitative reconstruction of its past variations. A recently identified sea-ice-associated haptophyte, known as Group 2i Isochrysidales, has given rise to a new sea-ice proxy with its characteristic alkenone distributions. However, apart from the occurrence of Group 2i Isochrysidales in regions with sea ice, and the empirical relationship between C37:4 alkenone abundance and sea-ice concentration, little is known about the ecology of these haptophyte species. Here, we systematically mapped the spatial and temporal occurrence of known Group 2i Isochrysidales based on environmental DNA in both marine and lacustrine environments. Our results indicate Group 2i is widely distributed in icy marine and lacustrine environments in both Northern and Southern Hemisphere, but is absent in warm environments. Temporally, Group 2i is part of the sea-ice algae bloom during the cold seasons, in contrast to other Isochrysidales that bloom in open waters during warm seasons. Our results indicate that ice is a prerequisite for the occurrence of the psychrophilic Group 2i haptophytes in marine and lacustrine ecosystems and further affirms its value for past ice reconstructions.

Primer design for the amplification of the ammonium transporter genes from the uncultured haptophyte algal species symbiotic with the marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium UCYN-A1.

The multiple symbiotic partnerships between closely related species of the haptophyte algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii and the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (UCYN-A) contribute importantly to the nitrogen and carbon cycles in vast areas of the ocean. The diversity of the eukaryotic 18S rDNA phylogenetic gene marker has helped to identify some of these symbiotic haptophyte species, yet we still lack a genetic marker to assess its diversity at a finer scale. One of such genes is the ammonium transporter (amt) gene, which encodes the protein that might be involved in the uptake of ammonium from UCYN-A in these symbiotic haptophytes. Here, we designed three specific PCR primer sets targeting the amt gene of the haptophyte species (A1-Host) symbiotic with the open ocean UCYN-A1 sublineage, and tested them in samples collected from open ocean and near-shore environments. Regardless of the primer pair used at Station ALOHA, which is where UCYN-A1 is the pre-dominant UCYN-A sublineage, the most abundant amt amplicon sequence variant (ASV) was taxonomically classified as A1-Host. In addition, two out of the three PCR primer sets revealed the existence of closely-related divergent haptophyte amt ASVs (>95% nucleotide identity). These divergent amt ASVs had higher relative abundances than the haptophyte typically associated with UCYN-A1 in the Bering Sea, or co-occurred with the previously identified A1-Host in the Coral Sea, suggesting the presence of new diversity of closely-related A1-Hosts in polar and temperate waters. Therefore, our study reveals an overlooked diversity of haptophytes species with distinct biogeographic distributions partnering with UCYN-A, and provides new primers that will help to gain new knowledge of the UCYN-A/haptophyte symbiosis.

Evolution of a chimeric mitochondrial carbonic anhydrase through gene fusion in a haptophyte alga.

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a universal enzyme family that catalyses the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate, and they are localized in most compartments including mitochondria and plastids. Thus far, eight classes of CAs (α-, β-, γ-, δ-, ζ-, η-, θ- and ι-CA) have been characterized. This study reports an interesting gene encoding a fusion protein of β-CA and ι-CA found in the haptophyte Isochrysis galbana. Recombinant protein assays demonstrated that the C-terminal ι-CA region catalyses CO2 hydration, whereas the N-terminal β-CA region no longer exhibits enzymatic activity. Considering that haptophytes generally have mitochondrion-localized β-CAs and plastid-localized ι-CAs, the fusion CA would show an intermediate stage in which mitochondrial β-CA is replaced by ι-CA in a haptophyte species.

An Outlook for the Acquisition of Marine Sedimentary Ancient DNA (sedaDNA) From North Atlantic Ocean Archive Material

AbstractStudies incorporating sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) analyses to investigate paleo‐environments have increased considerably over the last few years, and the possibility of utilizing archived sediment cores from previous field campaigns could unlock an immense resource of sampling material for such paleo‐investigations. However, sedaDNA research is at a high risk of contamination by modern environmental DNA, as sub‐optimal sediment storage conditions may allow for contaminants (e.g., fungi) to grow and become dominant over preserved sedaDNA in the sample. Here, we test the feasibility of sedaDNA analysis applied to archive sediment material from five sites in the North Atlantic, collected between 1994 and 2013. We analyzed two samples (one younger and one older) per site using a metagenomic shotgun approach and were able to recover eukaryotic sedaDNA from all samples. We characterized the authenticity of each sample through sedaDNA fragment size and damage analyses, which allowed us to disentangle sedaDNA and contaminant DNA. Although we determined that contaminant sequences originated mainly from Ascomycota (fungi), most samples were dominated by Emiliania huxleyi, a haptophyte species that commonly blooms in the study region. We attribute the presence of contaminants to non‐ideal sampling and sample storage conditions of the investigated samples. Therefore, while we demonstrate that sedaDNA analysis of archival North Atlantic seafloor sediment samples are generally achievable, we stress the importance of best‐practice ship‐board sampling techniques and storage conditions to minimize contamination. We highly recommend the application of robust bioinformatic tools that help distinguish ancient genetic signals from modern contaminants, especially when working with archive material.

On the phenology and seeding potential of sea-ice microalgal species

Sea ice is an important habitat for a wide variety of microalgal species. Depending on the species composition, sea ice can be a seeding source for pelagic phytoplankton blooms after ice melt in spring. Sea-ice algal communities were studied over 2 full winter seasons in 2014 and 2016 at Rothera Research Station, situated at the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Algal pigment patterns and microscopic observations were combined with photophysiological studies based on fluorescence analyses to monitor and explain the phenology of ice-algal species. Clear patterns in species succession were identified. Young sea ice contained a mixture of algal species including dinoflagellates, cryptophytes and diatoms like Chaetoceros spp. and Fragillariopsis spp. In winter, severe environmental conditions resulted in a decline in species diversity and selection towards heterotrophy. Pennate diatoms like Amphiprora kufferathii and Berkeleya adeliensis were the first to dominate the nutrient-enriched bottom-ice layers in early spring. The bottom communities exhibited a remarkably stable value for the photoadaptation parameter, Ek, of circa 25 µmol photons m–2 s–1. Whereas pennate diatoms were most abundant in spring ice, the initial seeding event linked to ice melt was associated with flagellate species. Haptophyte species like Phaeocystis antarctica and prymnesiophytes like Pyramimonas spp. best sustained the transition from sea ice to seawater. Comparison with previous studies shows that the seeding patterns observed in Ryder Bay were characteristic over the wider sea-ice domain, Arctic and Antarctic. Over the course of this century, the WAP is predicted to experience continuing thinning and decline in sea-ice cover. For the near future, we expect that especially microalgal communities of haptophytes and chlorophytes will benefit from the changes, with yet unknown implications for carbon fluxes and higher trophic levels.

Detecting Phytoplankton Cell Viability Using NIR Raman Spectroscopy and PCA.

Raman spectroscopy has long been suggested as a potentially fast and sensitive method to monitor phytoplankton abundance and composition in marine environments. However, the pitfalls of visible detection methods in pigment-rich biological material and the complexity of their spectra have hindered their application as reliable in situ detection methods. In this study we combine 1064 nm confocal Raman spectroscopy with multivariate statistical analysis techniques (principle component analysis and partial leas-squares discriminant analysis) to reliably measure differences in the cell viability of a diatom species (Chaetoceros muelleri) and two haptophyte species (Diacronema lutheri and Tisochrysis lutea) of phytoplankton. The low fluorescence background due to this combined approach of NIR Raman spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis allowed small changes in the overall spectral profiles to be reliably monitored, enabling the identification of the specific spectral features that could classify cells as viable or nonviable regardless of their species. The most significant differences upon cell death were shown by characteristic shifts in the carotenoid bands at 1527 and 1158 cm–1. The contributions from other biomolecules were less pronounced but revealed changes that could be identified using this combination of techniques.

Optical Detection of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Belgian Coastal Zone: A Cautionary Tale of Chlorophyll c3

Phaeocystis globosa is a nuisance haptophyte species that forms annual blooms in the southern North Sea and other coastal waters. At high biomass concentration, these are considered harmful algal blooms due to their deleterious impact on the local ecosystems and economy, and are considered an indicator for eutrophication. In the last two decades, methods have been developed for the optical detection and quantification of these blooms, with potential applications for autonomous in situ or remote observations. However, recent experimental evidence suggests that the interpretation of the optical signal and its exclusive association with P. globosa may not be accurate. In the North Sea, blooms of P. globosa are synchronous with those of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima, another harmful bloom-forming species with similar pigmentation and optical signature. Here we combine new and published measurements of pigmentation composition and inherent optical properties from pure cultures of several algal and cyanobacterial groups, together with environmental spectroscopy data, to identify the pigments generating the optical signals captured by two established algorithms. We further evaluate the association of those pigments and optical signals with P. globosa. We found that the interpretation of the pigment(s) generating the optical signals were incorrect and that previous methods are not specific to P. globosa, even in the context of the phytoplankton assemblage of the southern North Sea. Additionally, we found that the optical and pigment signatures of Phaeocystis species are part of a broad pigmentation trend across unrelated taxonomic groups related to chlorophyll c3 presence, with important consequences for the interpretation of pigment and optical data. We then develop and evaluate an algorithm to detect this pigmentation pattern with minimal influence of co-occurring species and elaborate general recommendations for the future development of algorithms.

Targeted and untargeted lipidomic analysis of haptophyte cultures reveals novel and divergent nutrient-stress adaptations

Lipids comprise a significant, highly plastic proportion of the biomass in haptophytes, a ubiquitous, globally significant, and genetically diverse clade of photosynthetic microalgae. Recent studies have investigated the cellular lipidomes of disparate, individual species of haptophytes under nutrient-replete and nutrient-limited conditions, but have not investigated how lipidomes vary across the larger evolutionary clade or its ecological functional groups. We cultured eight species of haptophytes, including five strains of Emiliania huxleyi, for analysis via high performance liquid chromatography–high resolution accurate mass–mass spectrometry (HPLC–HRAM–MS), and performed untargeted computational and hierarchical cluster analyses on their lipidomes. We identified similarities and differences in lipidomes along both evolutionary and ecological lines, and identified potential biomarkers for haptophyte sub-clades, including 38 glycosphingolipids, seven betaine-like lipids, and three phosphatidyl-S,S-dimethylpropanethiol (PDPT) sulfo-phospholipids. We also provide the first evidence for the glycolipid, glucuronosyldiacylglycerol, in eukaryotic microalgae. We conducted a more targeted study of four haptophyte species under nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited conditions to investigate their lipidomic responses to nutrient stress. Under N- and P-limitation, the species exhibited disparate lipidomic responses. Uniquely, in response to N-limitation, E. huxleyi CCMP 374 heavily upregulated PDPT from 3.6 ± 0.9% to 10.4 ± 1.5% of quantified polar lipids. These previously uncharacterized lipidomes and responses to nutrient limitation reflect divergent evolutionary strategies and challenge popular phenotypic extrapolations between species.

High genetic diversity of the harmful algal bloom species Phaeocystis globosa revealed using the molecular marker COX1

Accumulating evidence indicates that the haptophyte species Phaeocystis globosa, which plays an important role in climate control and may cause harmful algal blooms (HABs), displays a rich genetic diversity that may be responsible for differences in colonial sizes, different toxicity during blooms, and differential optimum growth temperature. In this project, we demonstrated that COX1 can be used as an effective molecular marker for its low intra-genome variations and high resolution in differentiating different P. globosa strains. Analyzing 57 P. globosa strains and seven field samples revealed high P. globosa genetic diversity with at least seven distinct clades. This study not only demonstrated for the first time that the common molecular marker COX1 can be used for differentiating P. globosa strains with high-resolution, and for tracking dynamics of different P. globosa strains during bloom development, but also revealed that P. globosa had high genetic diversity in the field.

Rappemonads are haptophyte phytoplankton

Rapidly accumulating genetic data from environmental sequencing approaches have revealed an extraordinary level of unsuspected diversity within marine phytoplankton,1-11 which is responsible for around 50% of global net primary production.12,13 However, the phenotypic identity of many of the organisms distinguished by environmental DNA sequences remains unclear. The rappemonads represent a plastid-bearing protistan lineage that to date has only been identified by environmental plastid 16S rRNA sequences.14-17 The phenotypic identity of this group, which does not confidently cluster in any known algal clades in 16S rRNA phylogenetic reconstructions,15 has remained unknown since the first report of environmental sequences over two decades ago. We show that rappemonads are closely related to a haptophyte microalga, Pavlomulina ranunculiformis gen. nov. et sp. nov., and belong to a new haptophyte class, the Rappephyceae. Organellar phylogenomic analyses provide strong evidence for the inclusion of this lineage within the Haptophyta as a sister group to the Prymnesiophyceae. Members of this new class have a cosmopolitan distribution in coastal and oceanic regions. The relative read abundance of Rappephyceae in a large environmental barcoding dataset was comparable to, or greater than, those of major haptophyte species, such as the bloom-forming Gephyrocapsa huxleyi and Prymnesium parvum, and this result indicates that they likely have a significant impact as primary producers. Detailed characterization of Pavlomulina allowed for reconstruction of the ancient evolutionary history of the Haptophyta, a group that is one of the most important components of extant marine phytoplankton communities.

Alkenones in oceanic odontocetes as a potential proxy of environmental water temperature

The alkenones C37:2 and C37:3 are produced exclusively by some haptophyte species. Their relative proportion (Uk’37 index) may be used to infer the water temperature where the synthesising haptophyte lived. Alkenones have been analysed in sediments, planktonic communities and in the low trophic level, filter-feeding fin whales. However, it is unclear whether they can be detected in animals exploiting high trophic levels and used to infer the water temperature in which they live. Alkenones were analysed in blubber samples from three Mediterranean predatory species: the striped dolphin, an epipelagic species; the Risso’s dolphin, a deep diver; and the bottlenose dolphin, a coastal species. Alkenones were detected in all striped dolphin samples and in most of the Risso’s dolphin samples, but they were below detection limits in the bottlenose dolphin samples. The inferred temperature for the striped dolphins (16.4 ± 3.3 °C) was similar to the average water temperature of the region (16.9 ± 3.9 °C), but that for the Risso’s dolphins was lower than expected (12.7 ± 4.4 °C). The small sample sizes and the large variance in the Uk’37 index make it difficult to ascertain if the dissimilarity between the two oceanic species is real. Although further research is needed to calibrate this bio-indicator, we can conclude that alkenones are transferred through the trophic web and are found in oceanic cetaceans situated at a high trophic level.

Alkenone Distributions and Hydrogen Isotope Ratios Show Changes in Haptophyte Species and Source Water in the Holocene Baltic Sea

AbstractThe Baltic Sea, a dynamic, marginal marine basin, experienced a number of large changes in salinity during the Holocene as a result of fluctuations in global and local sea level related to melting of glacial ice sheets and subsequent isostatic rebound. These changes likely had pronounced effects on the species composition of haptophytes, a common phytoplankton group found in the Baltic Sea. This dynamic environment provides the ideal setting to study how species change impacts distribution and hydrogen isotope ratios of long‐chain alkenones (δ2HC37), haptophyte‐specific biomarkers. Here we analyzed the aforementioned parameters in Holocene sediments covering the contrasting hydrological phases of the Baltic Sea. Alkenone distributions changed with different Baltic Sea salinity phases, suggesting that species shifts coincide with salinity change. δ2HC37 values show two major shifts: one in the middle of the freshwater Ancylus Lake phase (10.6 to 7.7 ka) and a second at the transition from the brackish Littorina Sea phase (7.2 to 3 ka) into the fresher Modern Baltic (3 ka to the present). The first shift represents a significant enrichment of 50‰, which cannot be explained by salinity or species changes only. At this time, the isotopically depleted ice sheets had melted, and only the relatively enriched freshwater source remained. The second shift, coincident with a change in distribution, is likely caused by a change in species composition alone. These findings show that hydrogen isotope ratios of long‐chain alkenones, combined with their relative distribution, can be used to reconstruct changes in source water.

Genomic and geochemical identification of the long-chain alkenone producers in the estuarine Lake Takahoko, Japan: Implications for temperature reconstructions

Identifying the lacustrine haptophyte species that produce long-chain alkenones (LCAs) is essential for using alkenone unsaturation ratios to create lake water temperature reconstructions. We discovered LCAs in the brackish Lake Takahoko in northern Japan. The identity of LCA-producing species was investigated using 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and organic geochemical analysis. Two distinct genetic groups, termed Tak-A and Tak-B, were identified within the Group II haptophyte phylotype. Tak-A was closely related to Hap-A, which was obtained from Lake George, USA; and Tak-B was identified as Isochrysis galbana. Because Hap-A and Isochrysis galbana have similar temperature calibrations, Tak-A and Tak-B were also expected to share similar calibrations. Therefore, the changes of their relative abundances in the lake should not significantly disturb paleotemperature reconstructions. The alkenone temperature recorded in the surface sediment corresponded to the lake temperature in early to late summer. This is likely related to the haptophyte bloom season in Lake Takahoko suggesting that this lake may be a viable location for creating a lacustrine alkenone paleotemperature record.

Successional blooms of alkenone‐producing haptophytes in Lake George, North Dakota: Implications for continental paleoclimate reconstructions

AbstractAlkenone‐derived paleotemperature reconstruction holds great promise in lake environments. However, the occurrence of multiple species of alkenone‐producing haptophyte algae in a single lake can complicate the translation of alkenone unsaturation to temperature if each species requires an individual temperature calibration. Here, we present the first systematic monitoring of two alkenone‐producing haptophytes throughout the course of a seasonal cycle in Lake George, North Dakota, using a combined approach of DNA sequencing and alkenone lipid characterization. Field sampling revealed a nonoverlapping haptophyte succession, with both an early and late season haptophyte bloom event. Culturing experiments demonstrated that the two haptophyte species responsible for these blooms had statistically similar alkenone‐temperature responses, although the culture‐based calibrations were distinct from the in situ calibration. Bloom timing of each haptophyte species corresponded to surface‐water temperatures that differed by more than 10°C, revealing that changes in bloom intensities for each species will skew the sediment‐inferred temperatures to a different stage of the growth season. These results highlight the importance of accounting for bloom timing when interpreting alkenone‐derived temperatures in sediment cores, especially in lakes that experience large seasonal fluctuations in water column temperature and salinity.

Next‐Generation Sequencing to Identify Lacustrine Haptophytes in the Canadian Prairies: Significance for Temperature Proxy Applications

AbstractThe Great Plains of North America often experience prolonged droughts that have major economic and environmental impacts. Temperature reconstructions are thus crucial to help decipher the mechanisms responsible for drought occurrences. Long‐chain alkenones (LCAs), lipids produced by three major phylogenetic groups (Groups I, II, and III) of haptophyte algae within the order Isochrysidales, are increasingly used for temperature reconstructions in lacustrine settings. However, to select the most appropriate calibration of the LCA‐based temperature proxy, it is first essential to identify the LCA‐producing haptophyte species present. Here we used next‐generation sequencing to target the 18S rRNA haptophyte gene from sediments with distinct LCA profiles to identify the LCA‐producer(s) from five Canadian prairie lakes. In total, 374 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified across the studied samples, of which 234 fell within the Phylum Haptophyta. Among the most abundant OTUs, three were characterized as LCA‐producers, one falling within the Group I haptophytes and two within the Group II haptophytes. The OTU from Group I haptophytes was associated with a single, highly specific LCA profile, whereas Group II OTUs showed higher variability in LCA distributions. Our study revealed that most of the LCA‐producing OTUs thriving in the Canadian lakes are included within the genus Isochrysis, which helps guide selection of the most appropriate calibration for down‐core temperature reconstructions. Our findings also suggest that the temperature dependency is likely consistent within different taxa from Group I and Group II haptophytes, but that other environmental parameters may influence the accuracy of the calibration.

Systematic chemotaxonomic profiling and novel paleotemperature indices based on alkenones and alkenoates: Potential for disentangling mixed species input

The unsaturation indices (U37K, U37K') of long chain alkenones are powerful paleotemperature proxies and have been widely applied for sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions in the past three decades. However, these indices encounter major difficulties in systems harboring different alkenone-producing haptophyte species, such as saline lakes and marginal ocean environments. All haptophytes produce C37 alkenones, but different species often display large differences in temperature calibrations and may bloom in different seasons, hindering the use of U37K and U37K' indices for reliable paleotemperature reconstructions in mixed systems. To overcome these problems, we have recently reported a new analytical method that allows comprehensive separation of up to 32 alkenones, alkenoates and their double bond positional isomers in culture and sediment samples. Here we report a systematic analysis of alkenones and alkenoates from six haptophyte cultures growing at a wide range of temperatures (4–25 °C). Together with a compilation of 230 previously published culture data sets, we present here systematic calibrations of temperature-sensitive indices based on all alkenone and alkenoate homologues (including isomers). Using this dataset, we extract systematic chemotaxonomic criteria for differentiating individual haptophyte species and demonstrate such chemotaxonomic features can be encoded into a machine learning model for reliable species identifications. Specifically, we show that temperature calibrations based on C38 methyl ketones and C39 ethyl ketones are potentially useful for disentangling mixed inputs in estuarine systems where Group III (E. huxleyi) and Group II alkenones mix, and that C36 ethyl alkenoate isomeric ratios display minimal species heterogeneity and are potentially more suited for reconstructing temperatures in mixed systems with different Group II haptophytes. Using the culture data as base profiles, we construct a mathematical model for estimating percentage inputs from alkenones of different Isochrysidales groups in mixed systems, with potential implications for inferring past salinity changes. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate important new applications of alkenone and alkenoate biomarkers in paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental research.

Major increase in winter and spring precipitation during the Little Ice Age in the westerly dominated northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

There have been numerous attempts to use long-chain alkenones (LCAs) in saline lakes for paleotemperature and paleosalinity reconstructions. However, LCAs in saline lakes are often produced by multiple haptophyte species, which may confound data interpretations. Here we analyzed LCAs in a finely laminated, high sedimentation rate core from the hypersaline Lake Gahai in the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and compared our results with regional instrumental records. We find that LCA unsaturation ratios display a stepwise jump during the instrumental period, most likely originating from a sudden shift in the dominant alkenone producers. In contrast, the percentage of the C37:4 alkenone (%C37:4) displays strong correlations with spring and combined winter-spring precipitation amount (R2 = 0.83 and R2 = 0.81, respectively). We hypothesize that high winter-spring precipitation leads to greater freshening of lake surface water immediately after spring melting, promoting greater production of LCAs with relatively high %C37:4 values by the early blooming haptophyte species. Extending the instrumental calibration downcore allows us to quantitatively reconstruct regional spring and winter-spring precipitation for the past millennium. We find a major increase in winter-spring precipitation during the Little Ice Age (LIA), especially during the phases of solar minima. Our finding provides novel quantitative support to the previous studies suggesting relatively wet conditions during the LIA in the westerly dominated regions of central Asia and northern Tibetan Plateau and infers a substantial increase in regional winter-spring precipitation should the predicted grand solar minimum in the forthcoming decades become a reality.

Genomic identification of the long-chain alkenone producer in freshwater Lake Toyoni, Japan: implications for temperature reconstructions

Identifying the lacustrine haptophyte species that produce long-chain alkenones (LCAs) is essential prior to down-core temperature reconstructions. Here, we investigated the identity of LCA-producing species from Lake Toyoni, Japan using 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and organic geochemical analyses. The rDNA analyses identified eighteen operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of which only one fell within the haptophyte phylotype. This haptophyte belongs to the Group I phylotype, as supported by the LCA distribution found in surface and down-core sediments, and is closely related to a haptophyte found in Lake BrayaSø (Greenland). The inferred temperature using the Greenland calibration is very close to the Lake Toyoni surface temperature recorded during the spring/early summer season, when the LCA-producing haptophyte is likely to bloom. We therefore suggest that the temperature calibration from the Lake BrayaSø, Greenland is a suitable calibration for down-core temperature reconstructions at Lake Toyoni.

Seasonal succession, distribution, and diversity of planktonic protists in relation to hydrography of the Godthåbsfjord system (SW Greenland)

High-latitude fjord environments are undergoing dynamic seasonal changes, affecting spatio-temporal patterns in planktonic abundances. To investigate how physical gradients impact sub-Arctic planktonic protists (> 20 μm), a seasonal transect study was performed in 2013 during three periods of planktonic succession: spring, summer, and autumn. The samples were collected from the glacier-fjord-ocean transect in SW Greenland using two complementary sampling methods, i.e. net hauls (20-μm net) and Niskin bottles. The key drivers of the distribution of planktonic groups and dominant taxa were hydrographic properties (defined as ‘time’, salinity, and temperature) reflecting the area’s seasonally changing circulation system. Cold and relatively saline waters in spring favoured the single haptophyte species Phaeocystis cf. pouchetii, while in summer, fresher waters influenced by glacial discharge favoured diatoms, followed by dinoflagellates and predatory ciliates in autumn. Our findings reveal a monodominant structure among the planktonic protists observed in each key sub-region and in each season. (1) Gedaniella boltonii (spring) was associated with inner fjord upwelling, (2) Chaetoceros sp. (summer) and Chaetoceros cf. socialis (autumn) were linked to ‘glacial meltwater’ circulation in the main fjord, and (3) Thalassiosira poroseriata (summer) and Skeletonema sp. (autumn) characterized warm and relatively saline offshore waters influenced by the West Greenland Current. The observed spatio-temporal patterns were linked to changes in hydrographic regimes driven by the interplay between the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and inflows of offshore, Atlantic-sourced waters.

Sedimentary alkenone distributions reflect salinity changes in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene

The Baltic Sea has had a complex salinity history since the last deglaciation. Here we show how distributions of alkenones and their δD values varied with past fluctuations in salinity in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene by examining a Holocene record (11.2–0.1cal kyr BP) from the Arkona Basin. Major changes in the alkenone distribution, i.e., changes in the fractional abundance of the C37:4 Me alkenone, the C38:2 Et alkenone and a C36:2 Me alkenone, the latter which has not been reported in the Baltic Sea previously, correlated with known changes in salinity. Both alkenone distributions and hydrogen isotopic composition suggest a shift in haptophyte species composition from lacustrine to brackish type haptophytes around 7.7–7.2cal kyr BP, corresponding with a salinity change that occurred when the connection between the basin and the North Sea was re-established. A similar salinity change occurred in the Black Sea. Previously published alkenone distributions and their δD values from the Black Sea were used to reconstruct Holocene changes in surface water salinity and, hence, it was shown that the unusual C36:2 alkenone dominates the alkenone distribution at salinities of 2–8ppt (g/kg). This information was used to corroborate the interpretations made about salinity changes from the data presented for the Baltic Sea. Low and variable salinity waters in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene have led to a variable alkenone-producing haptophyte community composition, including low salinity adapted species, hindering the use of the unsaturation ratios of long-chain alkenones for sea surface temperature reconstruction. However, these alkenone based indices are potentially useful for studying variations in salinity, regionally as well as in the past.