Eco-physiological adaptation shapes the response of calcifying algae to nutrient limitation

The steady increase in global ocean temperature will most likely lead to nutrient limitation in the photic zone. This will impact the physiology of marine algae, including the globally important calcifying coccolithophores. Understanding their adaptive patterns is essential for modelling carbon prod...

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Published inScientific reports Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 16499
Main Authors Šupraha, Luka, Gerecht, Andrea C., Probert, Ian, Henderiks, Jorijntje
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.11.2015
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
14/63
38/23
631/158/857
631/443
64
704/158/47
Adaptation
Algae
Cell density
Global temperatures
Growth rate
Haptophyta - classification
Haptophyta - genetics
Haptophyta - physiology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Inorganic carbon
Mediterranean Sea
multidisciplinary
Nutrients
Ocean temperature
Ocean, Atmosphere
Phosphorus
Physiology
Science
Sciences of the Universe
Temperature effects
Mediterranean Sea
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Summary:The steady increase in global ocean temperature will most likely lead to nutrient limitation in the photic zone. This will impact the physiology of marine algae, including the globally important calcifying coccolithophores. Understanding their adaptive patterns is essential for modelling carbon production in a low-nutrient ocean. We investigated the physiology of Helicosphaera carteri , a representative of the abundant but under-investigated flagellated functional group of coccolithophores. Two strains isolated from contrasting nutrient regimes (South Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea) were grown in phosphorus-replete and phosphorus-limited batch cultures. While growing exponentially in a phosphorus-replete medium, the Mediterranean strain exhibited on average 24% lower growth rate, 36% larger coccosphere volume and 21% lower particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) production than the Atlantic strain. Under phosphorus limitation, the same strain was capable of reaching a 2.6 times higher cell density than the Atlantic strain due to lower phosphorus requirements. These results suggest that local physiological adaptation can define the performance of this species under nutrient limitation.
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Present address: UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, P.O. Box 6050 Langnes, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep16499