| Summary: | Picoplankton includes planktonic microbes ranging from 0.2 to 3 μm in diameter. Among photosynthetic groups are cyanobacteria, and microbial eukaryotes whose ecology and diversity are poorly known. These picophytoplankton contribute significantly to oceanic carbon fixation and primary production. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the relative importance of autotrophic plankton along with heterotrophic picoeukaryotes. The study focused on samples of surface and subsurface chlorophyll maximum collected in the Gulf of Maine (July 2010) and the Scotian Shelf (April and October 2009). The combination of molecular techniques clone libraries and pyrosequencing, targeting 18S rRNA genes and transcripts as well as the functional gene psbA, which codes for a protein D1 of photosystem II were used. It was apparent that the picoeukaryotes are dynamic communities with distinct assemblages during the spring blooms compared to late summer - autumn conditions, and between regions near shore vs offshore. Differences in distribution, species composition and community structure were associated with hydrographic changes, where the temperature, which strongly influences the stratification, seemed to play a major role. Overall the study revealed the diversity of haptophytes and the high relative abundance of Mamiellophyceae (Chlorophyta). Heterotrophic flagellates varied over time for some taxa (Choanoflagellates, MAST-1, -4, -7) while others persisted. Comparisons between rRNA genes rRNA provided a new perspection on the status of communities and highlighted the potential of using both approachesto describe the state of the ecosystem. Le picoplancton inclut des organismes dont la taille varie entre 0.2 et 3 μm, comprenant des cyanobactéries, ainsi qu’une grande diversité d’eucaryotes dont l’écologie et la diversité sont peu connues. Ces deux composantes assurent une part importante de la fixation du carbone dans les océans en contribuant de manière significative à la biomasse et à la production primaire. L’objectif ...
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