Ecological boundaries constrain pro- and eukaryotic richness: from the ice edge to the equator in the Pacific Ocean ...

• Main Authors: Raes, Eric J, Bodrossy, Levente, Van De Kamp, Jodie, Bissett, Andrew, Ostrowski, Martin, Brown, Mark, Sow, Swan Li San, Sloyan, Bernardette, Waite, Anya M
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2018
• Subjects: Biological Oceanography @ AWI AWI_BioOce; Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.887803; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.887803

Marine microbes along with micro eukaryotes are key regulators of oceanic biogeochemical pathways. Here we present a high-resolution (every 0.5° latitude) dataset describing microbial pro- and eukaryotic diversity, in the surface and just below the thermocline, along a 7000km transect from 66° S at the Antarctic ice edge to the equator in the South Pacific Ocean. The transect, conducted in Austral winter, covered key oceanographic features including crossing of the polar front (PF), the subtropical front (STF) and the equatorial upwelling region. Our data indicate that temperature does not determine patterns of marine microbial richness, complementing the global model data from Ladau, et al. (2013). Rather, NH4⁺ nanoplankton and primary productivity were the main drivers for archaeal and bacterial richness. Eukaryote richness was highest in the least productive ocean region, the tropical oligotrophic province. We also observed a novel diversity pattern in the South Pacific Ocean; a regional increase in ... : High resolution data covering marine microbes and micro eukaryotes are sparse, despite the fact that these organisms control global biogeochemical cycles. Here we present a dataset describing the microbial pro- and eukaryotic diversity along a 7000km transect from the Antarctic ice edge to the equator in early winter in the South Pacific Ocean. We show that a) temperature is not a primary driver of richness gradients b) prokaryotic richness increases with productivity, and c) oceanographic features can structure pro- and eukaryotic richness. Our data have given us a better understanding of how richness relates to dissolved inorganic nitrogen and productivity, as well as insights into the potential geographical community-range shifts of marine microbes in light of the rapidly changing climate. Physical and chemical data are stored at: CLIVAR and Carbon Hydrographic Data Office (CCHDO) Principal Contact: Jim Swift, Director Email: mailto:[e-mail] Web-site: http://cchdo.ucsd.edu/. Voyage number ...