Light and Primary Production Shape Bacterial Activity and Community Composition of Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria in a Microcosm Experiment

ABSTRACT Phytoplankton is a key component of aquatic microbial communities, and metabolic coupling between phytoplankton and bacteria determines the fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Yet, the impact of primary production on bacterial activity and community composition remains largely unknown, as, for example, in the case of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria that utilize both phytoplankton-derived DOC and light as energy sources. Here, we studied how reduction of primary production in a natural freshwater community affects the bacterial community composition and its activity, focusing primarily on AAP bacteria. The bacterial respiration rate was the lowest when photosynthe…

Effect of Intensity and Mode of Artificial Upwelling on Particle Flux and Carbon Export

Reduction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions alone will not sufficiently restrict global warming and enable the 1.5°C goal of the Paris agreement to be met. To effectively counteract climate change, measures to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are required. Artificial upwelling has been proposed as one such carbon dioxide removal technique. By fueling primary productivity in the surface ocean with nutrient-rich deep water, it could potentially enhance downward fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and carbon sequestration. In this study we investigated the effect of different intensities of artificial upwelling combined with two upwelling modes (recurring additions vs. on…

European Union legislation on macroalgae products

AbstractMacroalgae-based products are increasing in demand also in Europe. In the European Union, each category of macroalgae-based products is regulated separately. We discuss EU legislation, including the law on medicinal products, foods including food supplements and food additives, feed and feed additives, cosmetics, packaging materials, fertilizers and biostimulants, as well as biofuels. Product safety and consumer protection are the priorities with any new products. Macroalgae products can be sold as traditional herbal medicines. The novel food regulation applies to macroalgae foods that have not previously been used as food, and organic macroalgae are a specific regulatory category. …

Editorial: Changing Plankton Communities: Causes, Effects and Consequences

Upwelled plankton community modulates surface bloom succession and nutrient availability in a natural plankton assemblage

Upwelling of nutrient-rich waters into the sunlit surface layer of the ocean supports high primary productivity in eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUSs). However, subsurface waters contain not only macronutrients (N, P, Si) but also micronutrients, organic matter and seed microbial communities that may modify the response to macronutrient inputs via upwelling. These additional factors are often neglected when investigating upwelling impacts on surface ocean productivity. Here, we investigated how different components of upwelled water (macronutrients, organic nutrients and seed communities) drive the response of surface plankton communities to upwelling in the Peruvian coastal zone. Re…

Erratum for Piwosz et al., "Light and Primary Production Shape Bacterial Activity and Community Composition of Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria in a Microcosm Experiment".

Metabolic coupling between phytoplankton and bacteria determines the fate of dissolved organic carbon in aquatic environments, and yet how changes in the rate of primary production affect the bacterial activity and community composition remains understudied. Here, we experimentally limited the rate of primary production either by lowering light intensity or by adding a photosynthesis inhibitor. The induced decrease had a greater influence on bacterial respiration than on bacterial production and growth rate, especially at an optimal light intensity. This suggests that changes in primary production drive bacterial activity, but the effect on carbon flow may be mitigated by increased bacteria…

Bioflocculation of Euglena gracilis via direct application of fungal filaments: a rapid harvesting method

Funding Information: Special thanks to the US Agricultural Research Service for the provision of fungal strains. Thanks also to Dr Marilyn Wiebe (Technical Research Centre of Finland) for her expert advice on fungi and Johanna Oja for her technical help. This research was enabled by funding from The Land and Water Technology Foundation, The Finnish Cultural Foundation, and The Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s). The high cost and environmental impact of traditional microalgal harvesting methods limit commercialization of microalgal biomass. Fungal bioflocculation of microalgae is a promising low-cost, eco-friendly method but the range of …

Macroalgae production in Northern Europe: Business and government perspectives on how to regulate a novel blue bioeconomy

Macroalgae biomass production, understood as cultivation and harvesting, is a minor industry in Europe at present, but the sector is recognized as having substantial growth potential. Here, we framed the environmental license as a boundary object between business and authorities and investigated the details of macroalgal licensing procedures in seven Northern European countries (Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Iceland, and Scotland). We conducted surveys and interviews with macroalgae companies and licensing authorities to understand the challenges faced by both sides. Generally, macroalgae production in Northern European countries is regulated by environmental and water laws and…

Bacterioplankton dynamics driven by interannual and spatial variation in diatom and dinoflagellate spring bloom communities in the Baltic Sea

17 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, supporting information https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11601.-- This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: María Teresa Camarena‐Gómez, Clara Ruiz‐González, Jonna Piiparinen, Tobias Lipsewers, Cristina Sobrino, Ramiro Logares, Kristian Spilling, Bacterioplankton dynamics driven by interannual and spatial variation in diatom and dinoflagellate spring bloom communities in the Baltic Sea, Limnology and Oceanography 66(1): 255-271 (2021), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11601. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions

Factors controlling plankton productivity, particulate matter stoichiometry, and export fluxin the coastal upwelling system off Peru

Abstract. Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS) are among the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth. The high productivity in surface waters is facilitated by upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters, with high light availability enabling fast phytoplankton growth and nutrient utilization. However, there are numerous biotic and abiotic factors modifying productivity and biogeochemical processes. Determining these factors is important because EBUS are considered hotspots of climate change, and reliable predictions on their future functioning requires understanding of the mechanisms driving biogeochemical cycles therein. In this study, we used in situ mesocosms to obtain mechanistic un…

KOSMOS 2017 Peru Side Experiment: nutrients, phytoplankton abundances, enzyme rates, photophysiology

This data was collected during an short-term incubation experiment in March 2017 that investigated the response of a surface plankton community to upwelling. This experiment was carried in the framework of the SFB754-funded KOSMOS mesocosm study that took place in La Punta, Callao, Peru between February-April 2017. A total of six different treatments were used to disentangle chemical and biological characteristics of deep water that influence surface plankton blooms: 2 different deep water sources with different nutrient concentrations; 3 treatments to distinguish the effects of inorganic nutrients, organic nutrients and deep water microbial populations. Measured variables include inorganic…

KOSMOS 2017 Peru mesocosm study: overview data

Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS) are among the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth. The production of organic material is fueled by upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters and high incident light at the sea surface. However, biotic and abiotic factors can mod- ify surface production and related biogeochemical processes. Determining these factors is important because EBUS are considered hotspots of climate change, and reliable predic- tions of their future functioning requires understanding of the mechanisms driving the biogeochemical cycles therein. In this field experiment, we used in situ mesocosms as tools to improve our mechanistic understanding of processes con- trolling…