Such a ratio is important in calculating the amount of CO2 a certain species of phytoplankton is capable of absorbing.
Chen I will try to do this in Arabian Gulf, are you following any particular methodology.
Indications can be also found in Reynolds (2006, The Ecology of Phytoplankton, Cambridge University Press). Here I paste a few lines from page 125:
At face value, the instantaneous carbon capacity of natural waters to support phytoplankton is unlikely to exceed 0.3mgC L−1 (or about 0.02 mol Cm−3). Where present, bicarbonate raises the DIC reserve up to 2 orders of magnitude
greater. Supposing a C : Chla of 50, these capacities are equivalent to the supportive capacity for 6 to 600μg chla l−1. Plainly, carbon limitation of the phytoplankton supportive capacity is hardly likely to arise among the many water bodies in the world in which biomass is severely restricted by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude (∼0.6 to 6
μg chla L−1). Neither is the standing biomass of non-calcareous waters prevented from considerably exceeding 6 μg chla L−1. The instantaneous carbon dioxide availability in even the soft, noncalcareous waters may significantly exceed the air-equilibrated concentration and some production may be maintained when the DIC reserve is
exhausted. This inspires queries about the internal sources of carbon dioxide and the rates of their replenishment.
Hi Saif, I do not have a PDF of the book. I have just some parts that I copied to be used for my lectures. Sorry for this...
Luigi Thanks for the lead, I will try to get this pdf from our library and share it with you if you want. Cheers
To my understanding, CaCO3 is not a nutrient for the plant cells and apart the single genus, Phatotus (Volvocales) it is not part of the cell structure. SO, there is no point to search for limestone/organic carbon ratio of different species.
Hi Judit! Calcium carbonate is very important for the plate formation of coccolitophorids... which are an important part of marine phytoplankton...
So are coccolithophores truly the only (significantly abundant) phytoplankton that produce or excrete PIC? That is fascinating, because it is common for very different types of marine animals (foraminifera, coral, sponges, mollusks, echinoderms) and different types of macroalgae (e.g. red algae, Halimeda). In addition, since the PIC/POC ratios of coccolithophores vary significantly, it might be helpful to think less in terms of fixed PIC/POC ratios and more in terms of what controls PIC production rates.
Thanks for this note Laurence. Do you have any specific papers wheer you have dealt with it.
Hi Saif, I have been using a model that predicts PIC production based on total "small" phytoplankton production, which does not directly address PIC/POC ratio variability in coccolithophores explicitly. So instead I would recommend taking a look at:
Gregg and Casey, 2007, Modeling coccolithophores in the global oceans, Deep-Sea Research II, 54:447-477.
Zondervan, 2007, The effects of light, macronutrients, trace metals and CO2 on the production of calcium carbonate and organic carbon in coccolithophores—A review, Deep-Sea Research II, 54:521-537.
as well as the other papers in that Deep-Sea Research II issue. Another nice paper, which everyone should be able to access for free, is:
Beaufort et al., 2008, Calcite production by coccolithophores in the south east Pacific Ocean, Biogeosciences, 5:1101-1117.
I am sure there has been plenty of advancement since 2008, and I would love to hear the latest from our coccolithophore experts out there!
I forgot to acknowledge the excellent post above by Marius Muller, and the references therein. Thanks!
Laurence - Coccolithophores are not the only phytoplankton producing PIC. There are numerous dinoflagellates which biomineralise calcite in different phases of their life cycle. However, on the global scale, their contribution is quite small compared to coccolithophores. If you are interestedin the group, this may be a reasonable starting point: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065987
All the other important planktonic producers of carbonate are not algae.
Hello
There is a paper written by Eduardo Millán Núñez that explore this
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