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JPR Advance Access published online on January 9, 2006
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbi120
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 3, 2005
Accepted January 3, 2006

Article

Control of microplankton size structure in contrasting water columns of the Celtic Sea

A. Reul 1 *, J. Rodríguez 1, J.M. Blanco 1, A. Rees 2, and P.H. Burkill 3

1 Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain
2 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK
3 National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
A. Reul, E-mail: areul{at}uma.es


  Abstract

Water column structure, microphytoplankton size spectra, and nutrient concentration were analyzed at six sampling stations, in the Celtic Sea. Three types of stations were distinguished: A) where the upper mixed layer (UML) reaches the total depth (TD), B) where the UML is about half of TD, and C) where the UML is considerably less than half the TD. The UML was nutrient rich at type A stations and nutrient depleted at type B stations. At type C stations the UML was nitrate depleted and silicate rich. Two groups of microplankton Size-Abundance Spectra (SAS) were found: a) a typical linear SAS and b) a more complex "atypical" SAS, with a linear part up to 160µm and a dome at 300 µm caused by a Coscinodiscus wailesii bloom. The dome was observed at all depths at type A stations, and above the pycnocline and at the seafloor of type B stations. Combining intrinsic growth rate, sinking rate and mixing layer depth, the C. wailesii dome persists only at type A stations, but settles out of the UML at the remaining stations. This suggests that a large part of the perturbation at the right extreme of phytoplankton SAS does not propagate along the planktonic SAS but sinks to the seafloor.

Communicating Editor: RP Harris
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