Picophytoplankton: Bottom-up and Top-down Controls on Ecology and Evolution
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: CHLOROPHYTA CYANOBACTERIA EUKARYA GRAZING PARASITISM RESOURCE ACQUISITION SEDIMENTATION VIRUSES ABSTRACT. - Picophytoplankton organisms were derived from larger ancestors in both cyanobacteria and (polyphyletically) in eukarya. There are a number of puta- tive advantages in the acquisition of photosynthetically active radiation and nutrient solutes from resource-limited habitats, and probably of maximum specific growth rate, for very small cells relative to the situation for larger phytoplankton cells. However, there are also putative disadvantages for such small cells with respect to bottom-up factors (i.e. those limiting biomass production), including an increased potential for solute leakage and an increased metabolic cost of screening out damaging UV-B. Among top-down factors (i.e. those removing biomass), picophytoplankton may be at an advantage relative to larger phytoplankton cells in avoiding damage from eukaryotic parasites, and losses from sedimentation. How- ever, viruses and (small) grazers can attack picophytoplankton, just as viruses and (larger) grazers can attack larger phytoplankton. Picophytoplankton may be at a disadvantage relative to larger phytoplankton in environments with temporally vari- able resource supply. CHLOROPHYTES CYANOBACTERIES EUCARYOTES BROUTAGE PARASITISME
Source: HAL
Authors: Raven, J, A, Finkel, Z, V, Irwin, A, J
Institution: Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2297583754