Ocean Productivity
OUTLINE
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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
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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
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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
(Sugar/Carbs)
– 106 CO2 + 122 H2O + 16 HNO3 + 1 H3PO4 
106 C6H12O + H2O 16 NH3 + 1 H3PO4 + 138 O2
(Sugar)
– THE REVERSE (grazing) RESPIRATION
• Zooplakton, Fish, Whales, Humans
• Eat e.g.Sugar  spit out CO2
Fig. 13.8
Primary Production
OUTLINE
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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 water
remember 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?
– C106 N16 P1
Carbon
Nitrogen Phosphorous
Fig. 13.3
From Studying Cell Counts
to Satellites
The C14 radioactive Tracer
Method
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Artificial Fluorescence
Artificial Fluorescence – compounds give off
the color they are NOT absorbing
Fig. 13.6
From Studying Cell Counts
to Satellites
Natural
Fluorescence
From Space
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
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•
•
•
•
•
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?
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The Photosynthetic Light Limitation
Amt. of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients (namely?)
Marine bacteria and Nutrient Recycling
Zooplankton Grazing
Vertical Mixing Issues
OUTLINE
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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
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•
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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
http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~kbruland/Research/kwbRes.html
– 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 . . .
Wooden Sunken Ship
Where 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 concentrations
in squirts and eddies off the central California coast.
Bathymetric Map of Central CA Coast.
(Provided by USGS)
(Provided by Raphael Kudela)
• 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)
SOURCE: http://www.bbm.me.uk/FeFert/expSummary.htm
A: IronEx I
B: IronEx II
D: SOIREE
E: EisenEx
G: SEEDS
H: SOFeX
J: Planktos
K: SERIES
• 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
•
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•
•
•
•
•
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
• Nutrient Rich
Clear Lake?, CA
LOTS of Nutrients/ Runoff
Pea Soup Green
vs
Oligotrophic Environments
Nutrient Poor
Lake Tahoe, CA
Little 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
Saxitoxin
Diatom –Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)
Pseudonitzschia australis.
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/redtides-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