Seasonal microbial food web dynamics in contrasting Southern Ocean productivity regimes

• Published in: Limnology and Oceanography
• Main Authors: Christaki, Urania, Gueneugues, Audrey, Liu, Yan, Blain, Stephane, Catala, Philippe, Colombet, Jonathan, Debeljak, Pavla, Jardillier, Ludwig, Irion, Solene, Planchon, Frédéric, Sassenhagen, Ingrid, Sime-Ngando, Telesphore, Obernosterer, Ingrid
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG) - UMR 8187 (LOG), Université de Lille-Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls (OOB), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Microorganismes : Génome et Environnement - Clermont Auvergne (LMGE), Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-AgroParisTech-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ANR-17-CE01-0013,MOBYDICK,Biodiversité des Ecosystèmes Marins et Dynamique du Carbone dans le secteur de Kerguelen : approche intégrée(2017)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: ACL; natural iron fertilization; marine; phytoplankton bloom; community structure; chibido; UBO; carbon export; ANR-17-CE01-0013; crozet plateau; export efficiency; inverse relationship; kerguelen area; viral-infection; envir; geo; Indian; Kerguelen; Kerguelen Island; Southern Ocean
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11591; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02986676

International audience Spatial and seasonal dynamics of microbial loop fluxes were investigated in contrasting productivity regimes in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Observations carried out in late summer (February-March 2018; project MOBYDICK) revealed higher microbial biomasses and fluxes in the naturally iron-fertilized surface waters of Kerguelen island in comparison to surrounding off-plateau waters. Differences were most pronounced for bacterial heterotrophic production (2.3-fold), the abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF; 2.7-fold). Independent of site, grazing by HNF was the main loss process of bacterial production (80-100%), while virus-induced mortality was low (\textless 9%). Combining these results with observations from previous investigations during early spring and summer allowed us to describe seasonal patterns in microbial food web fluxes and to compare these to carbon export in the iron-fertilized and high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) Southern Ocean. Our data suggest an overall less efficient microbial food web during spring and summer, when respiration and viral lysis, respectively, represent important loss terms of bacterially-mediated carbon. In late summer, primary production is more efficiently transferred to bacterial biomass and HNF and thus available for higher trophic levels. These results provide a new insight into the seasonal variability and the quantitative importance of microbial food web processes for the fate of primary production in the Southern Ocean.