Abstract
Trichodesmium blooms are ubiquitous phenomena in tropical and subtropical oceanic waters. Due to their diazotrophic capability, these blooms may play a quantitative role in global new production. However, to date it has been difficult to quantify the importance of diazotrophy due to a combination of undersampling of natural populations and a lack of pure culture physiological studies. In August 1989, we encountered a >1 × 103 km2 Trichodesmium bloom in the North Pacific Ocean near the JGOFS Hawaii Ocean Time-Series (HOT) Station ALOHA. Analyses of particulate matter collected from the densest portion of the bloom showed enrichments of 3,375 to 7,787-fold for carbon (PC), nitrogen (PN), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and pigments (chl a and phaeo) relative to typical non-bloom concentrations; phosphorus (PP) was enriched only 583-fold. Dissolved nitrogen pools (NH4, [NO3+NO2], DON) were also enriched within the bloom, and in the case of NH4 by 27-fold. Budget estimates based upon seasonally-averaged N imports to and exports from the epipelagic zone at Station ALOHA suggest that diazotrophic cyanobacterial blooms may be an important source of new nitrogen to the ecosystem. Two models are presented and discussed in order to account for the initiation of these open ocean blooms, and to explain the uncoupling of N and P concentrations and the selective enrichments of P which are required to favor the growth of diazotrophic microorganisms.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bainbridge, R. (1957) ‘The size, shape and density of marine phytoplankton concentrations’, Biological Review 32, 91–115.
Borstad, G. A. (1982) ‘The influence of the meandering Guiana Current on surface conditions near Barbados — temporal variations of Trichodesmium (Cyanophyta) and other plankton’, Journal of Marine Research 40, 435–452.
Bowman, T. E. and Lancaster, L. J. (1965) ‘A bloom of the planktonic blue-green alga, Trichodesmium erythraeum, in the Tonga Islands’, Limnology and Oceanography 10, 291–292.
Bryceson, I. and Fay, P. (1981) ‘Nitrogen fixation in Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) erythraea in relation to bundle formation and trichome differentiation’, Marine Biology 61, 159–166.
Capone, D. G., and Carpenter, E. J. (1982) ‘Nitrogen fixation in the marine environment’, Science 217, 1140–1142.
Capone, D. G., O’Neil, J. M., Zehr, J. and Carpenter, E. J. (1990) ‘Basis for diel variation in nitrogenase activity in the marine planktonic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii’, Applied and Environmental Microbiology 56, 3532–3536.
Carpenter, E. J. (1973) ‘Nitrogen fixation by Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) thiebautii in the southwestern Sargasso Sea’, Deep-Sea Research 20, 285–288.
Carpenter, E. J. (1983) ‘Nitrogen fixation by marine Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) in the world’s oceans’, in Edward J. Carpenter and Douglas G. Capone (eds.), Nitrogen in the Marine Environment, Academic Press, Inc., New York, pp. 65–103.
Carpenter, E. J. and McCarthy, J. J. (1975) ‘Nitrogen fixation and uptake of combined nitrogenous nutrients by Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) thiebautii in the western Sargasso Sea’, Limnology and Oceanography 20, 389–401.
Carpenter, E. J. and Price, C. C., IV (1976) ‘Marine Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium)’. Explanation for aerobic nitrogen fixation without heterocysts’, Science 191, 1278–1280.
Carpenter, E. J. and Price, C. C., IV (1977) ‘Nitrogen fixation, distribution, and production of Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) spp. in the western Sargasso and Caribbean Seas’, Limnology and Oceanography 22, 60–72.
Carpenter, E. J. and Romans, K. (1991) ‘The diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium: importance in C and N cycling in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean’, submitted for publication.
Carpenter, E. J., Scranton, M. I., Novelli, P. C. and Michaels, A. (1987) ‘Validity of N2 fixation rate measurements in marine Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium)’ Journal of Plankton Research 9, 1047–1056.
Chiswell, S., Firing, E., Karl, D., Lukas, R. and Winn, C. (1990) ‘Hawaii Ocean Time-series Data Report 1, 1988–1989’, SOEST Technical Report #1, University of Hawaii.
Codispoti, L. A. (1989) ‘Phosphorus vs. nitrogen limitation of new and export production’, in W. H. Berger, V. S. Smetacek and G. Wefer (eds.), Productivity of the Ocean: Present and Past, John Wiley & Sons Limited, pp. 377-394.
Darwin, C. (1845) Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of HMS Beagle Round the World, Under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N. William Clowes and Sons, London.
Devassy, V. P., Bhattathiri, P. M. A. and Qasim, S. Z. (1978) ‘Trichodesmium phenomenon’, Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 7, 168–186.
Doremus, C. (1982) ‘Geochemical control of dinitrogen fixation in the open ocean’, Biological Oceanography 1, 429–436.
Duce, R. A. (1986) ‘The impact of atmospheric nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron species on marine biological productivity’, in P. Buat-Menard (ed.), The Role of Air-Sea Exchange in Geochemical Cycling, D. Reidel Publishing Company, pp. 497-529.
Dugdale, R. C. and Goering, J. J. (1967) ‘Uptake of new and regenerated forms of nitrogen in primary productivity’, Limnology and Oceanography 12, 196–206.
Dugdale, R. C., Goering, J. J. and Ryther, J. H. (1964) ‘High nitrogen fixation rates in the Sargasso Sea and the Arabian Sea’, Limnology and Oceanography 9, 507–510.
Dugdale, R. C., Menzel, D. W. and Ryther, J. H. (1961) ‘Nitrogen fixation in the Sargasso Sea’, Deep-Sea Research 7, 297–300.
Dupouy, C., Petit, M. and Dandonneau, Y. (1988) ‘Satellite detected cyanobacteria bloom in the southwestern tropical Pacific. Implication for oceanic nitrogen fixation’, International Journal of Remote Sensing 9, 389–396.
Ehrenberg, C. G. (1830) ‘Neue Beobachtungen über bluartige Erbsheinungen in Aegypten Arabien und Siberien nebst einer Uebersicht und kritik der früher bekannnten’, Annales of Physical Chemistry 18, 477–514.
Eppley, R. W. and Peterson, B. J. (1979) ‘Particulate organic matter flux and planktonic new production in the deep ocean’, Nature 282, 677–680.
Goering, J. J., Dugdale, R. C. and Menzel, D. W. (1966) ‘Estimates of in situ rates of nitrogen uptake by Trichodesmium sp. in the tropical Atlantic Ocean’, Limnology and Oceanography 11, 614–620.
Gundersen, K. R., Corbin, J. S., Hanson, C. L., Hanson, M. L., Hanson, R. B., Russell, D. J., Stollar, A. and Yamada, O. (1976) ‘Structure and biological dynamics of the oligotrophic ocean photic zone off the Hawaiian Islands’, Pacific Science 30, 45–68.
Harold, F. M. (1966) ‘Inorganic polyphosphates in biology: Structure, Metabolism, and Function’, Bacteriological Reviews 30, 772–794.
Howarth, R. W., Marino, R., Lane, J. and Cole, J. J. (1988) ‘Nitrogen fixation in freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems. 1. Rates and importance’, Limnology and Oceanography 33, 669–687.
Hulburt, E. M. (1962) ‘Phytoplankton in the southwestern Sargasso Sea and north equatorial current, February 1961’, Limnology and Oceanography 7, 307–315.
Karl, D. M. (1980) ‘Cellular nucleotide measurements and applications in microbial ecology’, Microbiological Reviews 44, 739–796.
Karl, D. M. (1986) ‘Determination of in situ microbial biomass, viability, metabolism, and growth’, in Jeanne S. Poindexter and Edward R. Leadbetter (eds.), Bacteria in Nature, Volume 2, Methods and Special Applications in Bacterial Ecology, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 85–176.
Karl, D. M., Bird, D., Hebel, D. V., Letelier, R., Sabine, C. and Winn, C. D. (1991) ‘Nitrogen fixation contributes to new production in the oligotrophic North Pacific Ocean’, submitted for publication.
Karl, D. M. and D. B. Craven (1980) ‘Effects of alkaline phosphatase activity on nucleotide measurements in aquatic microbial communities’, Applied and Environmental Microbiology 40, 549–561.
Karl, D. M. and Tien, G. (1991) ‘MAGIC: A sensitive and precise method for measuring dissolved phosphorus in aquatic environments’, Limnology and Oceanography, in press.
Karl, D. M., Winn, C. D., Hebel, D. V. W. and Letelier, R. (1990) ‘Hawaii Ocean Time-Series program field and laboratory protocols, September 1990’, University of Hawaii.
Kimor, B. and Golandsky, B. (1977) ‘Microplankton of the Gulf of Elat: aspects of seasonal and bathymetric distribution’, Marine Biology 42, 55–67.
Klemer, A. R. (1985) ‘Nutrient-induced migrations of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)’, in Migration: Mechanisms and Adaptive Significance. Contributions in Marine Science, Vol. 27 (suppl.), pp. 153–165.
Knauer, G. A., Redalje, D. G., Harrison, W. G. and Karl, D. M. (1990) ‘New production at the VERTEX time-series site’, Deep-Sea Research 37, 1121–1134.
Konopka, A. (1984) ‘Effect of light-nutrient interactions on buoyancy regulation by planktonic cyanobacteria’, in M. J. Klug and C. A. Reddy (eds.), Current Perspectives in Microbial Ecology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., pp. 41–48.
Kromkamp, J. and Walsby, A. E. (1990) ‘A computer model of buoyancy and vertical migration in cyanobacteria’, Journal of Plankton Research 12, 161–183.
Lal, D. and Lee, T. (1988) ‘Cosmogenic 32P and 33P used as tracers to study phosphorus recycling in the upper ocean’, Nature 333, 752–754.
Lal, D., Chung, Y., Platt, T. and Lee, T. (1988) ‘Twin cosmogenic radiotracer studies of phosphorus recycling and chemical fluxes in the upper ocean’, Limnology and Oceanography 33, 1559–1567.
Legendre, L. and Gosselin, M. (1989) ‘New production and exporport of organic matter to the deep ocean: Consequences of some recent discoveries’, Limnology and Oceanography 34, 1374–1380.
Lewis, M. R., Harrison, W. G., Oakey, N. S., Hebert, D. and Platt, T. (1986) ‘Vertical nitrate fluxes in the oligotrophic ocean’, Science 234, 870–873.
Lewis, M. R., Ulloa, O. and Platt, T. (1988) ‘Photosynthetic action, absorption, and quantum yield spectra for a natural population of Oscillatoria in the North Atlantic’, Limnology and Oceanography 33, 92–98.
Li, W. K. W., Glover, H. E. and Morris, I. (1980) ‘Physiology of carbon photoassimilation by Oscillatoria thiebautii in the Caribbean Sea’, Limnology and Oceanography 25, 447–456.
Longhurst, A. R. and Harrison, W. G. (1988) ‘Vertical nitrogen flux from the oceanic photic zone by diel migrant Zooplankton and nekton’, Deep-Sea Research 35, 881–889.
Mague, T. H., Mague, F. C. and Holm-Hansen, O. (1977) ‘Physiology and chemical composition of nitrogen-fixing phytoplankton in the central North Pacific Ocean’, Marine Biology 41, 213–227.
Mague, T. H., Weare, N. M. and Holm-Hansen, O. (1974) ‘Nitrogen fixation in the North Pacific Ocean’, Marine Biology 24, 109–119.
Martin, J. H., Knauer, G. A., Karl, D. M. and Broenkow, W. W. (1987) ‘VERTEX: carbon cycling in the northeast Pacific’, Deep-Sea Research 34, 267–285.
McCarthy, J. J. and Carpenter, E. J. (1979) ‘Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) thiebautii (Cyanophyta) in the central North Atlantic Ocean’, Journal of Phycology 15, 75–82.
Munk, W. H. (1966) ‘Abyssal recipes’, Deep-Sea Research 13, 707–730.
Munk, W. H. and Riley, G. (1952) ‘Absorption of nutrients by aquatic plants’, Journal of Marine Research 11, 215–240.
Qasim, S. Z. (1970) ‘Some characteristics of a Trichodesmium bloom in the Laccadives’, Deep-Sea Research 17, 655–660.
Redfield, A. C., Ketchum, B. H., and Richards, F. A. (1963) ‘The influence of organisms on the composition of sea water’, in M. N. Hill (ed.), The Sea, vol. 2, Interscience, New York, pp. 26–77.
Révélante, N. and Gilmartin, M. (1982) ‘Dynamics of phytoplankton in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon’, Journal of Plankton Research 4, 47–76.
Saino, T. and Hattori, A. (1978) ‘Diel variation in nitrogen fixation by a marine blue-green alga Trichodesmium thiebautii’, Deep-Sea Research 25, 1259–1263.
Sakshaug, E. and Holm-Hansen, O. (1977) ‘Chemical composition of Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve and Pavlova (Monochrysis) lutheri (Droop) Green as a function of nitrate-, phosphate-, and iron-limited growth’, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 29, 1–34.
Simoneit, B. R. T., Grimait, J. O., Fischer, K. and Dymond, J. (1986) ‘Upward and downward flux of particulate organic material in abyssal waters of the Pacific Ocean’, Naturwissenschaften 73, 322–325.
Smith, K. L., Jr., Williams, P. M. and Druffel, E. R. M. (1989) ‘Upward fluxes of particulate organic matter in the deep North Pacific’, Nature 337, 724–726.
Steven, D. M. and Glombitza, R. (1972) ‘Oscillatory variation of a phytoplankton population in a tropical ocean’, Nature 237, 105–107.
Stewart, W. D. P., Pemble, M. and Al-Ugaily, L. (1978) ‘Nitrogen and phosphorus storage and utilization in blue-green algae’, Mitteilung Internationale Vereinigung für Theoretische and Angewandte Limnologie 21, 224–247.
Van Baalen, C. and Brown, R. M. (1969) ‘The ultrastructure of the marine blue-green alga, Trichodesmium erythraeum, with special reference to the cell wall, gas vacuoles, and cylindrical bodies’, Archiv für Mikrobiologie 69, 79–91.
Villareal, T. A. and Carpenter, E. J. (1990) ‘Diel buoyancy regulation in the marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii’, Limnology and Oceanography 35, 1832–1837.
Walsby, A. E. (1978) ‘The properties and buoyancy-providing role of gas vacuoles in Trichodesmium Ehrenberg’, British Phycological Journal 13, 103–116.
Yayanos, A. A. and Nevenzel, J. C. (1978) ‘Rising-particle hypothesis: Rapid ascent of matter from the deep ocean’, Naturwissenschaften 65, 255–256.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Karl, D.M., Letelier, R., Hebel, D.V., Bird, D.F., Winn, C.D. (1992). Trichodesmium Blooms and New Nitrogen in the North Pacific Gyre. In: Carpenter, E.J., Capone, D.G., Rueter, J.G. (eds) Marine Pelagic Cyanobacteria: Trichodesmium and other Diazotrophs. NATO ASI Series, vol 362. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7977-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7977-3_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4126-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-7977-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive