Pigment composition in relation to phytoplankton community structure and nutrient content in the Baltic Sea
2002
Joanna Stoń | Alicja Kosakowska | Maria Łotocka | Elzbieta Łysiak-Pastuszak
The concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids with respect tocommunities of characteristic phytoplankton species and hydrologicalparameters, such as temperature, salinity and nutrients were analysed.Samples from the southern Baltic were taken during three periods:spring 1999, autumn 1999 and 2000 during cruises of r/v 'Oceania'in this area. The seasonal differences between the phytoplanktonspecies composition and pigmentation of samples (measured by HPLC)were noted. The total biomass of the spring phytoplankton populationwas 11-15 times greater than that of the autumn populations. However,the phytoplankton community was more diverse in the two autumns,whereas the spring population was almost mono-taxonomic: > 80% of thetotal biomass consisted of dinophytes. The total content of chlorophylls(<i>a, b, c1</i> + <i>c2</i>) was about 20 times higher in spring. Moreover, inspring the concentrations of photosynthetic carotenoids (with dominantperdinin) were 2-4 times higher than those of the photoprotectingcarotenoids (with dominant diadinoxanthin), whereas in the two autumnsthe situation was reversed: PPC concentrations (with dominant zeaxanthinand diadinoxanthin) exceeded those of PSC (with dominant fucoxanthin)by c. 3-10 times. Pigment markers have proved to be extremely usefulbiomarkers for elucidating the composition of phytoplankton populationsin natural samples.
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