SHADE ADAPTED BENTHIC DIATOMS BENEATH ANTARCTIC SEA ICE 1

ABSTRACT A dense community of shade adapted microalgae dominated by the diatom Trachyneis aspera is associated with a siliceous sponge spicule mat in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Diatoms at a depth of 20 to 30 m were found attached to spicule surfaces and in the interstitial water between spicules. Am...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Phycology
Main Authors: Palmisano, Anna C., SooHoo, Janice Beeler, White, David C., Smith, Glen A., Stanton, Gregg R., Burckle, Lloyd H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1985
Subjects:
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
ice algae
McMurdo Sound
Sea ice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1985.00664.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.0022-3646.1985.00664.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1985.00664.x
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT A dense community of shade adapted microalgae dominated by the diatom Trachyneis aspera is associated with a siliceous sponge spicule mat in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Diatoms at a depth of 20 to 30 m were found attached to spicule surfaces and in the interstitial water between spicules. Ambient irradiance was less than 0.6 μE · m −2 · s −1 due to light attenuation by surface snow, sea ice, ice algae, and the water column. Photosynthesis‐irradiance relationships determined by the uptake of NaH 14 CO 3 revealed that benthic diatoms beneath annual sea ice were light‐saturated at only 11 μE·m −2 ·s −1 , putting them among the most shade adapted microalgae reported. Unlike most shade adapted microalgae, however, they were not photoinhibited even at irradiances of 300 μE·m −2 ·s −1 . Although in situ primary production by benthic diatoms was low, it may provide a source of fixed carbon to the abundant benthic invertebrates when phytoplankton or ice algal carbon is unavailable.

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