Response of temperate microplankton communities to N:Si ratio perturbation

Roberts, E. C.; Davidson, K.; Gilpin, L.C.

Abstract

In order to study the effect of the nitrogen:silicon (N:Si) ratio on temperate microplankton food webs, mesocosm experiments were conducted in Trondheim (Norway) using two different ratios (molar ratios of 1:1 and 4:1). With the exception of diatoms, the increase in abundance of all microbial groups [phototrophic nanoflagellates, autotrophic dinoflagellates, bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNAN), heterotrophic microflagellates and ciliates] was significantly greater in the high N:Si treatment. Midway through the experiment, HNAN biovolume exceeded that of bacteria in the high N:Si treatment, indicating strong top-down grazing control. Heterotrophic microflagellate biovolume exceeded ciliate biovolume under both nutrient regimes. However, hetero-trophic plankton failed to respond rapidly to increased diatom biomass. The heterotrophic:auto-trophic biovolume ratio remained

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 5, 2003
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2003
• Deposit Date: Nov 7, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Plankton Research
• Print ISSN: 1464-3774
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 1485-1495
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbg109
• Keywords: Ecology; Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1007811