Phytoplankton taxonomy based on CHEMTAX and microscopy in the northwestern Black Sea

Abundance and carbon biomass of different phytoplankton groups obtained by microscopy were compared with taxonomy derived from pigment measurements and CHEMTAX analysis of samples collected in June 2006 in the NW Black Sea. The diatom Chaetoceros curvisetus was dominant in terms of carbon biomass based on cell volume at inshore stations, while the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi was prevalent at offshore. Emiliania huxleyi reached bloom abundance of 3.3 x106 cells L-1. The chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration within phytoplankton groups as allocated by CHEMTAX was in agreement with microscopy derived carbon biomasses of the taxonomic groups diatoms, dinoflagellates and cryptophytes only. Carbon biomass of less abundant phytoplankton taxa (cyanophytes, euglenophytes and chlorophytes) did not correlate with group-specific chl a. It was not possible to detect Emiliania huxleyi bloom by CHEMTAX analysis probably due to much higher biomass of other species containing 19’-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin. Nutrient concentrations were generally high in the waters where diatom and dinoflagellates dominated the community but low in the area of Emiliania huxleyi bloom. A good correlation between total carbon biomass of phytoplankton and chl a was found and the estimated C:chl a ratio of phytoplankton varied between 36 and 256 (in average 124 ± 50).

EKER-DEVELI Elif;  BERTHON Jean-Francois;  CANUTI Elisabetta;  SLABAKOVA Natalia;  MONCHEVA Snejana;  SHTEREVA Galina;  DZHUROVA Boryana; 

2012-02-03

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC67189

0924-7963,   

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924796311002351,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC67189,   

10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.10.005,