Ocean Productivity

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• The Microbial Revolution– 1970s Discovery of tiny photosynthetic microbes - Gyres

• Cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) - e.g. Prochlorococcus

• Source of Incredible Marine Natural Products -

• Make up ½ of phytoplankton in Oceans!

– A Microbial Revolution• Annually new discoveries of

Microbes Alter the way We

– Think about Ocean/systems

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• Major Types of Plankton– Challenge Question - What are they?

• Pico phytoplankton ≤ 2 uM - Cyanobacteria (prochlorococcus)

• Nano phytoplankton ≤ 20 uM – Small Diatoms

• Micro phytoplankton ≤ 200 uM - Large Diatoms, dinoflagellates

•Major Types of Plankton•Absorb UV light at different Wavelengths

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

– What is Primary Production?• The rate of production of Organic matter by phytoplankton or

photo autotrophs

• What are some examples of algae producers besides phytoplankton (aka macro algae)?

– Macroalgae (Kelp)

– Zooxanthellae (Coral)

– True Marine Plants

» Mangroves

» Seagrass

» Marsh Plants

• Primary Production (aka - a Bloom)– Light Reactions (Sunlight) -Photosynthesis– Dark Reactions (convert E from light w/ CO2 sugars)

– CO2 + H2O + light C6H12O + H2O + O2

– 106 CO2 + 122 H2O + 16 HNO3 + 1 H3PO4

106 C6H12O + H2O 16 NH3 + 1 H3PO4 + 138 O2

– THE REVERSE (grazing) RESPIRATION• Zooplakton, Fish, Whales, Humans

• Eat e.g.Sugar spit out CO2

(Sugar)

(Sugar/Carbs)

Fig. 13.8

Primary Production

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites– Many ways exist to estimate primary production

• Here are several important approaches

From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

Light and Dark Bottle Method

Others look at elemental equivalents in Sea waterremember Liebig’s Law of Minimum?

• Challenge Question– What is the Redfield Ratio?

• The optimum ratio of Macronutrients for Phytoplankton to bloom:

– What is the ratio? Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorous

– C106 N16 P1

Fig. 13.3

From Studying Cell Counts

to Satellites

The C14 radioactive Tracer

Method

Artificial Fluorescence

From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

Artificial Fluorescence – compounds give off the color they are NOT absorbing

Fig. 13.6

Natural

Fluorescence

From Space

Satellites

From Studying Cell Counts

to Satellites

From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Confirming Your Knowledge– What are some Major ways in which Oceanographers

estimate Phytoplankton 1˚production?• Light & Dark bottle method

• Look for removal of Dissolved elements (det. Growth rates)

• Carbon -14 (14C) radioactive tracer to bottle/ incubate in Sun, CO2 fixed = Rate of Photosyn.)

• Artificial Fluorescence

• Sun Stimulated Fluorescence of Chlorophyll (Satellite imagery)

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• Controls of Primary Production– Photosynthetic Light Limitation

• Controls of Primary Production– Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients

• Controls of Primary Production– Marine Bacteria and Nutrients

• Reminerilization (recycling)

• Controls of Primary Production– Zoo plankton Grazing – keeps food web under control

Fig. 13.13

• Controls of Primary Production– Vertical Mixing

c

c

• Confirming Your Knowledge Question(s)?– What are some of the Major Control Mechanisms of

Primary Production?

• The Photosynthetic Light Limitation

• Amt. of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients (namely?)

• Marine bacteria and Nutrient Recycling

• Zooplankton Grazing

• Vertical Mixing Issues

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production – (different @ different places. . .

Fig. 13.14.a

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• HNLC Regions– Challenge Question – What are They & where do they occur?

• High Nutrients areas (e.g. Nitrogen “N” & Phosphorous “P”) – However Lower then Expected Chlorophyll is produced there. . .(HNLC)

• What key trace elements could be lacking?– Iron (Fe), Great Transporter of Oxygen (key Element in Marine life)

– Silica (SiO2) Diatom Shells . . .

http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~kbruland/Research/kwbRes.html

Wooden Sunken ShipWhere is the marine Life?

Metal Sunken Ship~ teaming with Life

• HNLC Regions• Challenge Question – What are they & Where do they occur?

– Areas of low Iron (Fe) or Silica (Si) Input:

– (either no Aeolian or no Sediment input or both)

» e.g. Santa Cruz vs Big Sur

Santa Cruz, CA

Big Sur, CA

• HNLC Regions• Where do they occur?

– Areas of low Iron (Fe) or Silica (Si) Input

» e.g. Santa Cruz vs Big Sur

SeaWIFS image showing surface chlorophyll concentrationsin squirts and eddies off the central California coast.

(Provided by Raphael Kudela)Bathymetric Map of Central CA Coast.(Provided by USGS)

• HNLC regions– Well –Who Cares? What does it matter?– Fe Enrichment Experiments? (Fertilize the Oceans>?)

• John Martin ( the Iron Man) a reality?

• YES - GLOBAL HNLC regions– Southern Ocean – Lots of NO3

TO DATE – 9 Iron Enrichment Experiments Done:(1993-2003)

A: IronEx I B: IronEx II D: SOIREE E: EisenEx G: SEEDS H: SOFeX

J: Planktos K: SERIES

SOURCE: http://www.bbm.me.uk/FeFert/expSummary.htm

• HNLC Iron Enrichment– Still under investigation. . .– Stay tuned. . ..– Results

• Inconclusive– Need to factor in what

Other element?

SOURCE: http://www.bbm.me.uk/FeFert/expSummary.htm

OUTLINE

• The Microbial Revolution

• Major Types of Phytoplankton

• What is Primary Production

• From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites

• Controls of Primary Production

• Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production

• HNLC Regions?

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) aka red tides. . . – Challenge Questions

• What are they & Where/How do they occur?– A bloom of phytoplankton

» that is Harmful to the Environment

– Can occur anywhere, esp. in areas of enhanced Nutrients

» i.e. eutrophication zones. . What is that?

• Limnology/ Oceanography– Eutrophic vs Oligotrophic Environments

• Nutrient Rich Nutrient Poor

Clear Lake?, CALOTS of Nutrients/ RunoffPea Soup Green

Lake Tahoe, CALittle Nutrients/ Runoff/ But Increasing. . .

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) aka red tides. . . • Where are some probable locations of HABS in the US & Why?

» Mississippi

» Washington Coast

» Monterey Bay

•Hypoxic/Anoxic Regions

if have Massive Blooms Oxygen Depletion by Zooplankton

•HABS – How are they Harmful? the Gulf of Mexico - Lots of Nutrients from Where?

1) Hypoxic (low O2) and Anoxic Zones (No O2) Fish Kills

HABS – Steadily Increasing since the 1970s – why?

Many poisonings (Toxin ingestion) now associated with HABS. . .

• HABS – How are they Harmful?• 2) Planktonic production of Toxins (poisons)

– i.e. (secondary metabolites), e.g. Marine Natural Products Chemistry

• Toxins Ingested (as poisons) biomagnify up Food Chain– Zooplankton / mussel / anchovie fish bird

– Two FAMOUS Cases -

Dinoflagelate –Paralytic Shellfish poisoning (PSP)Alexandrium tamarense

Diatom –Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)Pseudonitzschia australis.

Saxitoxin Domoic acid

• HABS – How are they Harmful?– Not in the Textbooks - Yet

• 3) Planktonic secreted (foam) Marine Natural Products– As Topical agents - Alter organisms mobility

» Surfactants (soapy compounds)

» compromise viability of Marine Bird feathers

• See Recent Publication– http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/02/23/red-

tides-kill-seabirds-with-soapy-foam/

HABS

• Confirming your Knowledge– What are 3 major ways in which HABS can be harmful?

• 1) Hypoxic/anoxic zones– e.g Mississippi Nutrient Run off massive blooms (O2 used up from Zooplankton)

• Secondary Metabolite production (Marine Natural Products)

– 2) Toxins produced/ingested – Biomagnified up Food Chain

» i.e. Plankton mussels fish birds humans

» e.g. Domoic Acid (ASP), Saxitoxin (DSP)

– 3) Topical agents - Alter organisms mobility

» Surfactant production (soapy compounds) compromises feathers

END

OCEAN PRODUCTIVTY A whole New World of DISOCOVERY

Last Lecture Wednesday – Turn In all Assignments Wed. – LAST DAY – FRIDAY

HANG IN THERE – ALMOST DONE

Page 267

Fig. 13.1

Fig. 13.5

Figure 13a

TABLES

Tab. 13.1

Tab. 13.2

Tab. 13.3

Tab. 13.4

Tab. 13.5