Diatom bloom trigger notable variations in microzooplanktonic ciliate composition, body-size spectrum and biotic-abiotic interaction in the Arctic Ocean

Chaofeng Wang; Zhiqiang Xu; Aiyong Wan; Xiaoyu Wang; Guangfu Luo; Wenhua Bian; Qiong Chen; Xinhua Chen; Wuchang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118821

Diatom bloom trigger notable variations in microzooplanktonic ciliate composition, body-size spectrum and biotic-abiotic interaction in the Arctic Ocean

Environ Res. 2024 Apr 12;252(Pt 2):118821. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118821. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chaofeng Wang¹, Zhiqiang Xu², Aiyong Wan², Xiaoyu Wang³, Guangfu Luo⁴, Wenhua Bian⁵, Qiong Chen⁶, Xinhua Chen⁷, Wuchang Zhang⁸

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
² Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
³ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China.
⁴ Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200136, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: chenxinhua@tio.org.cn.
⁸ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address: wuchangzhang@qdio.ac.cn.

PMID: 38615793
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118821

Abstract

How microzooplanktonic ciliate adaptative strategies differ across diatom bloom and non-diatom bloom areas in the Arctic Ocean remains poorly documented. To address this gap, two different situations were categorized in the Arctic Ocean at summer 2023: diatom bloom stations (DBS) (genus Thalassiosira, chain-like) and non-diatom bloom stations (nDBS). Total abundance of ciliate at 3 m and 25 m in DBS was 2.8 and 1.8 folds higher than in nDBS, respectively. Aloricate ciliates were singled out in both DBS and nDBS, whilst their average abundance and biomass of large size-fraction (>50 μm) in former were 4.5-5.6 folds higher than in latter. Regarding tintinnids, high abundance of Ptychocylis acuta (Bering Strait species) mainly occurred at DBS, coupled with distribution of co-occurring Pacific-origin species Salpingella sp.1, collectively suggested a strong intrusion of Pacific Inflow during summer 2023. Additionally, presence of high abundance of Acanthostomella norvegica and genus Parafavella in nDBS might indicate the trajectory of the Transpolar Drift. Alternatively, tintinnids can serve as credible bioindicators for either monitoring currents or evaluating microzooplankton Borealization. Average abundance of total ciliate within 15-135 μm body-size spectrum in DBS was higher than nDBS. Moreover, spearman's rank correlation between biotic and abiotic analysis revealed that temperature and dissolved oxygen at DBS determined tintinnid species richness and ciliate total abundance, respectively. The results clearly demonstrate that remarkable divergences in large size-fraction of ciliate abundance between DBS and nDBS validate their irreplaceable role in controlling phytoplankton outbreak and associated biological processes in polar seas.

Keywords: Arctic ocean; Bioindicator; Borealization; Diatom bloom; Microzooplankton; Planktonic ciliates.