Inter-Research > AME > v83 > n1 > p65-82  
AME
Aquatic Microbial Ecology


via Mailchimp

AME 83:65-82 (2019)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01904

Vertical export of marine pelagic protists in an ice-free high-Arctic fjord (Adventfjorden, West Spitsbergen) throughout 2011-2012

Miriam Marquardt1,2,*, Ragnheid Skogseth1, Ingrid Wiedmann2, Anna Vader1, Marit Reigstad2, Finlo Cottier1,3, Tove M. Gabrielsen1,4

1The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
2UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Breivika, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
3The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratories, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
4Department of Natural Sciences, University of Agder (UiA), 4630 Kristiansand S, Norway
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: The ecosystem role of Arctic microbial communities is still largely unknown. Based on a time-series study at the IsA station (West Spitsbergen), the seasonality and contribution of pelagic protists to the vertical flux was investigated at 7 time points during 2011-2012. The hydrography of this high-Arctic fjord was evaluated to identify impacts on the community composition during the different seasons. Protists (<10 µm and >10 µm) were sampled at 4 depths from the water column and from short-time sediment traps, and investigated by 454 next-generation sequencing of the V4 region of the 18S ribosomal DNA. An advective event during winter, exchanging the cold and less saline water mass with warmer and saline Atlantic Water, was potentially responsible for an abrupt shift in the protist composition in March. Small cells (<10 µm) contributed significantly to the vertical flux during autumn and winter, while larger bloom taxa (e.g. diatoms) predominated the water and traps during spring. Parasitic species, such as MALV 1a and Chytriodinium sp., were also detected in the traps, possibly being transported along with their hosts. Vertical export of Arctic pelagic protists is not limited to the productive period; however, the contribution of small taxa that are important contributors in this study seems to be seasonally influenced and may alter the flux efficiency. Molecular tools revealed new taxa contributing to the vertical export, but also identified new potential mechanisms exemplified by parasite-host-induced transport, spurring increased attention onto parasitism in the study of carbon cycles and vertical flux.


KEY WORDS: Next-generation sequencing · Vertical flux of protists · Time-series · Size-fractionated protists · Short-time sediment traps · Atlantic-influenced Arctic fjord


Full text in pdf format
Supplementary material
Cite this article as: Marquardt M, Skogseth R, Wiedmann I, Vader A, Reigstad M, Cottier F, Gabrielsen TM (2019) Vertical export of marine pelagic protists in an ice-free high-Arctic fjord (Adventfjorden, West Spitsbergen) throughout 2011-2012. Aquat Microb Ecol 83:65-82. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01904

Export citation
Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn

 Previous article Next article