Small Phytoplankton and Carbon Export from the Surface Ocean

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 315; no. 5813; pp. 838 - 840
• Main Authors: Richardson, Tammi L, Jackson, George A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 09.02.2007; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Aggregation; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Carbon; Carbon - metabolism; Cell aggregates; Ecosystem; Exports; Food Chain; Food webs; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Marine biology; Microbiology; Models, Biological; Oceans; Oceans and Seas; Pacific Ocean; Phytoplankton; Phytoplankton - cytology; Phytoplankton - growth & development; Phytoplankton - physiology; Plankton; Primary productivity; Sea water ecosystems; Seas; Seawater; Surface layers; Synecology; Urochordata - physiology; Zooplankton - growth & development; Zooplankton - physiology; Pacific Ocean; Arabian Sea; Indian Ocean; Equatorial Pacific; ISW, Arabian Sea; IS, Equatorial Pacific; Marine environment; Flux; Phytoplankton; Primary productivity; Carbon; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1133471

Autotrophic picoplankton dominate primary production over large oceanic regions but are believed to contribute relatively little to carbon export from surface layers. Using analyses of data from the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Arabian Sea, we show that the relative direct and indirect contribution of picoplankton to export is proportional to their total net primary production, despite their small size. We suggest that all primary producers, not just the large cells, can contribute to export from the surface layer of the ocean at rates proportional to their production rates.