Strategy of photo-protection in phytoplankton assemblages in the Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Arctic

Photo-protective functions were investigated in phytoplankton assemblages at Kongsfjorden,Svalbard in spring,using their UV-absorbing compounds(mycosporine-like amino acids(MAAs)),xanthophyll pigments(diadinoxanthin(DD) and diatoxanthin(DT)) and < beta >- dimethylsulphoniopropionate(<beta>- DMSP). The dominant phytoplankton species in the inner bay were dominated by Phaeocystis spp. and nanoflagellates,while the offshore waters were dominated by Thalassiosira spp. In the inner bay,UVabsorbing compounds and xanthophyll pigments exhibited higher ratios of MAA to chlorophyll a(MAA:chl a ratio),and both DD and DT to chlorophyll a(DD:chl a ratio and DT:chl a ratio),respectively.Thus,the photoprotective-pigments such as DD and DT appear to complement MAAs in the natural phytoplankton assemblage. However,the ratio of<beta>- DMSP to chlorophyll a(<beta>-DMSP:chl a ratio) did not show a distinct spatial distribution according to environmental factors or interspecies differences. In this study,we found that photoprotective compounds occurred in a manner dependent on the phytoplankton species composition in Kongsfjorden Bay,where Phaeocystis is the dominant species.

Effects of ocean acidifi cation driven by elevated CO_2 on larval shell growth and abnormal rates of the venerid clam, Mactra veneriformis

A bstract The venerid clam(M actra veneriformis Reeve 1854) is one of the main cultured bivalve species in intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems along the west coast of Korea. To understand the effects of ocean acidifi cation on the early life stages of Korean clams, we investigated shell growth and abnormality rates and types in the D-shaped, umbonate veliger, and pediveliger stages of the venerid clam M. veneriformis during exposure to elevated seawater pCO_2. In particular, we examined abnormal types of larval shell morphology categorized as shell deformations, shell distortions, and shell fi ssures. Specimens were incubated in seawater equilibrated with bubbled CO_2-enriched air at(400±25)×10^(-6)(ambient control),(800±25)×10^(-6)(high pCO_2), or(1 200±28)×10^(-6)(extremely high pCO_2), the atmospheric CO_2 concentrations predicted for the years 2014, 2084, and 2154(70-year intervals; two human generations), respectively, in the Representative Concentration Pathway(RCP) 8.5 scenario. The mean shell lengths of larvae were signifi cantly decreased in the high and extremely high pCO_2 groups compared with the ambient control groups. Furthermore, under high and extremely high pCO_2 conditions, the cultures exhibited signifi cantly increased abundances of abnormal larvae and increased severity of abnormalities compared with the ambient control. In the umbonate veliger stage of the experimental larvae, the most common abnormalities were shell deformations, distortions, and fi ssures; on the other hand, convex hinges and mantle protuberances were absent. These results suggest that elevated CO_2 exerts an additional burden on the health of M. veneriformis larvae by impairing early development.