Marcel Babin

Variability in the chlorophyll‐specific absorption coefficients of natural phytoplankton: Analysis and parameterization

Variability in the chlorophyll (chl) a-specific absorption coefficients of living phytoplankton aph*(λ) was analyzed using a data set including 815 spectra determined with the wet filter technique in different regions of the world ocean (covering the chlorophyll concentration range 0.02–25 mg m−3). The aph* values were observed to decrease rather regularly from oligotrophic to eutrophic waters, spanning over more than 1 order of magnitude (0.18 to 0.01 m2 mg−1) at the blue absorption maximum. The observed covariation between aph*(λ) and the field chl a concentration (chl) can be explained considering (1) the level or pigment packaging and (2) the contribution of accessory pigments to absorption. Empirical relationships between aph*(λ) and 〈chl〉 were derived by least squares fitting to power functions. These relationships can be used to produce aph* spectra as a function of 〈chl〉. Such a simple parameterization, if confirmed with further data, can be used, e.g., for refining estimates of the carbon fixation rate at global or regional scales, such as those obtained by combining satellite pigment concentration maps with primary production models based on physiological parameters, among which aph* is an important one.

Variations of light absorption by suspended particles with chlorophyll a concentration in oceanic (case 1) waters: Analysis and implications for bio-optical models

Spectral absorption coefficients of total particulate matter ap(λ) were determined using the in vitro filter technique. The present analysis deals with a set of 1166 spectra, determined in various oceanic (case 1) waters, with field chl a concentrations (〈chl〉) spanning 3 orders of magnitude (0.02–25 mg m−3). As previously shown [Bricaud et al., 1995] for the absorption coefficients of living phytoplankton ao(λ), the ap(λ) coefficients also increase nonlinearly with 〈chl〉. The relationships (power laws) that link ap(λ) and ao(λ) to 〈chl〉 show striking similarities. Despite large fluctuations, the relative contribution of nonalgal particles to total absorption oscillates around an average value of 25–30% throughout the 〈chl〉 range. The spectral dependence of absorption by these nonalgal particles follows an exponential increase toward short wavelengths, with a weakly variable slope (0.011±0.0025 nm−1). The empirical relationships linking ap(λ) to (〈chl〉) can be used in bio-optical models. This parameterization based on in vitro measurements leads to a good agreement with a former modeling of the diffuse attenuation coefficient based on in situ measurements. This agreement is worth noting as independent methods and data sets are compared. It is stressed that for a given (〈chl〉), the ap(λ) coefficients show large residual variability around the regression lines (for instance, by a factor of 3 at 440 nm). The consequences of such a variability, when predicting or interpreting the diffuse reflectance of the ocean, are examined, according to whether or not these variations in ap are associated with concomitant variations in particle scattering. In most situations the deviations in ap actually are not compensated by those in particle scattering, so that the amplitude of reflectance is affected by these variations.

Nitrogen- and irradiance-dependent variations of the maximum quantum yield of carbon fixation in eutrophic, mesotrophic and oligotrophic marine systems

Abstract Natural variability of the maximum quantum yield of carbon fixation ( φ C max ), as determined from the initial slope of the photosynthesis-irradiance curve and from light absorption measurements, was studied at three sites in the northeast tropical Atlantic representing typical eutrophic, mesotrophic and oligotrophic regimes. At the eutrophic and mesotrophic sites, where the mixed layer extended deeper than the euphotic layer, all photosynthetic parameters were nearly constant with depth, and φ C max averaged between 0.05 and 0.03 molC (mol quanta absorbed) −1 , respectively. At the oligotrophic site, a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) existed and φ C max varied from ca 0.005 in the upper nutrient-depleted mixed layer to 0.063 below the DCM in stratified waters. firstly, φ C max was found roughly to covary with nitrate concentration between sites and with depth at the oligotrophic site, and secondly, it was found to decrease with increasing relative concentrations of non-photosynthetic pigments. The extent of φ C max variations directly related to nitrate concentration was inferred from variations in the fraction of functional PS2 reaction centers ( f ), measured using fast repetition rate fluorometry. Covariations between f and nitrate concentration indicate that the latter factor may be responsible for a 2-fold variation in φ C max . Moreover, partitioning light absorption between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pigments suggests that the variable contribution of the non-photosynthetic absorption may explain a 3-fold variation in φ C max , as indicated by variations in the effective absorption cross-section of photosystem 2 ( σ PS2 ). Results confirm the role of nitrate in φ C max variation, and emphasize those of light and vertical mixing.

IN SEARCH OF A PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR COVARIATIONS IN LIGHT-LIMITED AND LIGHT-SATURATED PHOTOSYNTHESIS1

The photosynthesis‐irradiance (PE) relationship links indices of phytoplankton biomass (e.g. chl) to rates of primary production. The PE curve can be characterized by two variables: the light‐limited slope (αb) and the light‐saturated rate (Pbmax) of photosynthesis. Variability in PE curves can be separated into two categories: that associated with changes in the light saturation index, Ek (=Pbmax/αb) and that associated with parallel changes in αband Pbmax (i.e. no change in Ek). The former group we refer to as “Ek‐dependent” variability, and it results predominantly from photoacclimation (i.e. physiological adjustments in response to changing light). The latter group we refer to as “Ek‐independent” variability, and its physiological basis is unknown. Here, we provide the first review of the sporadic field and laboratory reports of Ek‐independent variability, and then from a stepwise analysis of potential mechanisms we propose that this important yet largely neglected phenomenon results from growth rate–dependent variability in the metabolic processing of photosynthetically generated reductants (and generally not from changes in the oxygen‐evolving PSII complexes). Specifically, we suggest that as growth rates decrease (e.g. due to nutrient stress), reductants are increasingly used for simple ATP generation through a fast (<1s) respiratory pathway that skips the carbon reduction cycle altogether and is undetected by standard PE methodologies. The proposed mechanism is consistent with the field and laboratory data and involves a simple new “twist” on established metabolic pathways. Our conclusions emphasize that simple reductants, not reduced carbon compounds, are the central currency of photoautotrophs.

Compensatory changes in Photosystem II electron turnover rates protect photosynthesis from photoinhibition

AbstractExposure of algae or higher plants to bright light can result in a photoinhibitory reduction in the number of functional PS II reaction centers (n) and a consequential decrease in the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis. However, we found that light-saturated photosynthetic rates (Pmax) in natural phytoplankton assemblages sampled from the south Pacific ocean were not reduced despite photoinhibitory decreases in n of up to 52%. This striking insensitivity of Pmax to photoinhibition resulted from reciprocal increases in electron turnover (

Remote sensing of sea surface Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence: consequences of natural variations in the optical characteristics of phytoplankton and the quantum yield of chlorophyll a fluorescence

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Pan-Arctic distributions of continental runoff in the Arctic Ocean

)through the remaining functional PS II centers. Similar insensitivity of Pmax was also observed in low light adapted cultures of Thalassiosira weissflogii (a marine diatom), but not in high light adapted cells where Pmax decreased in proportion to n. This differential sensitivity to decreases in n occurred because