Elevated pCO(2) changes community structure and function by affecting phytoplankton group-specific mortality

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Wang, Peixuan, Laws, Edward, Wang, Yongzhi, Chen, Jixin, Song, Xue
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: LSU Scholarly Repository 2022
• Subjects: Elevated pCO(2); Phytoplankton community structure; Mortality. Small diatoms; OCEAN ACIDIFICATION; MARINE-PHYTOPLANKTON; CLASS ABUNDANCES; CELL VIABILITY; GROWTH; RESPONSES; CO2; PH; SIZE; PHOTOSYNTHESIS; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Environmental Sciences; Marine Biology; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://repository.lsu.edu/enviro_sciences_pubs/2; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113362; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X22000443?via%3Dihub

The rise of atmospheric pCO(2) has created a number of problems for marine ecosystem. In this study, we initially quantified the effects of elevated pCO(2) on the group-specific mortality of phytoplankton in a natural community based on the results of mesocosm experiments. Diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community, and the concentration of chlorophyll a was significantly higher in the high-pCO(2) treatment than the low-pCO(2) treatment. Phytoplankton mortality (percentage of dead cells) decreased during the exponential growth phase. Although the mortality of dinoflagellates did not differ significantly between the two pCO(2) treatments, that of diatoms was lower in the high-pCO(2) treatment. Small diatoms dominated the diatom community. Although the mortality of large diatoms did not differ significantly between the two treatments, that of small diatoms was lower in the high-pCO(2) treatment. These results suggested that elevated pCO(2) might enhance dominance by small diatoms and thereby change the community structure of coastal ecosystems.