Plankton community and bacterial metabolism in Arctic sea ice leads during summer 2010

• Published in: Deep-sea research. Part I, Oceanographic research papers Vol. 92; pp. 152 - 161
• Main Authors: García-Martín, E.E., Serret, P., Leakey, R.J.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2014; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bacteria; Bacterial respiration; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Communities; Community respiration; European Arctic; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gross primary production; Marine; Metabolism; Microbial ecology; Microorganisms; Net community production; Oceanography; Plankton; Respiration; Sea water ecosystems; Summer; Synecology; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); Arctic Ocean; Svalbard; Arctic Region; Fram Strait; PN, Arctic Ocean; PNE, Arctic Ocean, Fram Strait; Bacterial respiration; Gross primary production; Community respiration; European Arctic; Net community production; Primary productivity; Summer; Net production; Metabolism; Marine environment; Plankton; Bacteria; Polar region; Respiration; Sea ice
• ISSN: 0967-0637; 1879-0119
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2014.06.007

Microbial plankton metabolism was examined during summer 2010 in sea ice-influenced waters of the Fram Strait, eastern Arctic Ocean. Rates of gross primary production and community respiration were tightly coupled over a wide range of values (33±3–143±6 and 20±3–126±6mmol O2m−2−1, respectively) leading to a prevalence of positive net community production. The high variability in community respiration, similar to that of gross primary production, suggests that heterotrophic metabolism may exhibit a significant response to environmental change. Bacterial respiration was assessed at similar time scales to bacterial production measurements, by determining the in vivo INT reduction capacity without pre-filtering the community. Bacteria seem to play a major role in total community respiration, contributing between 5% and 61% of total community respiration, indicating that a high fraction of the organic carbon in Arctic planktonic food webs could flow through these microbes. •Gross primary production and community respiration was very variable.•Net autotrophy was found at the majority of the stations sampled.•Large fraction of organic matter might be remineralized by bacteria.