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JPR Advance Access published online on October 12, 2006
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbl058
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received April 5, 2006
Accepted October 6, 2006

Article

Pigmented nanoflagellates in the coastal western subtropical Pacific are important grazers on Synechococcus populations

Tsai An-Yi 1, Kuo-Ping Chiang 2 *, Ya-Fan Chan 1, Yun-Chi Lin 1, and Jeng Chang 3

1 Institute of Environmental Biology and Fishery Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China
2 Institute of Environmental Biology and Fishery Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China; Institute of Marine Environmental Chemistry and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China
3 Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China; Institute of Marine Environmental Chemistry and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Kuo-Ping Chiang, E-mail: KPChiang{at}mail.ntou.edu.tw


  Abstract

Although the key grazers on Synechococcus and other planktonic marine bacteria are generally thought to be nanoflagellates (both non-pigmented and pigmented) as well as ciliates, we previously found in our western subtropical Pacific coastal study site, that ciliates exerted almost no grazing pressure. In this study, we used fluorescently-labeled particles (FLP) as Synechococcus sized mimics to examine the contribution of pigmented (may include autrophic and mixotrophic spp.) vs. non-pigmented (heterotrophic) nanoflagellate grazing to Synechococcus morality. During the warm season from June to September, > 50% of the nanoflagellate population was pigmented (1.8 - 2 vs. 1.2-1.6 x103 cells mL-1). Consumption, or clearance rates per pigmented nanoflagellate, varied considerably (0.50 to 46.90 nL cell-1 h-1) with the highest rates in June. Raw data showed pigmented nanoflagellate grazing to account for 2% - 94% (mean 43%) of Synechococcus production from May to October. Pigmented nanoflagellates consumed 12.5 fold more Synechococcus than did ciliates. This study provides the first evidence that pigmented nanoflagellates are key grazers of Synechococcus populations in subtropical western Pacific coastal waters.

Communicating Editor: KJ Flynn


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