Molecular underpinnings and biogeochemical consequences of enhanced diatom growth in a warming Southern Ocean

Authors

L.J. Jabre
A.E Allen
S.J.P. McCain
(...)
Rachel E. Sipler, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
et al

Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

2021

Journal

PNAS

Volume

118

Issue

30

First Page

e2107238118

Abstract

Phytoplankton contribute to the Southern Ocean’s (SO) ability to absorb atmospheric CO₂ and shape the stoichiometry of northward macronutrient delivery. Climate change is altering the SO environment, yet we know little about how resident phytoplankton will react to these changes. Here, we studied a natural SO community and compared responses of two prevalent, bloom-forming diatom groups to changes in temperature and iron that are projected to occur by 2100 to 2300. We found that one group, Pseudo-nitzschia, grows better under warmer low-iron conditions by managing cellular iron demand and efficiently increasing photosynthetic capacity. This ability to grow and draw down nutrients in the face of warming, regardless of iron availability, has major implications for ocean ecosystems and global nutrient cycles.

DOI

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107238118

Keywords

Diatoms; Iron limitation; Metatranscriptomics; Southern Ocean; Temperature

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Jabre, L.J.; Allen, A.E; McCain, S.J.P.; (...); Sipler, Rachel E.; and et al, Molecular underpinnings and biogeochemical consequences of enhanced diatom growth in a warming Southern Ocean (2021). PNAS, 118(30), e2107238118.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107238118