Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

Linking phytoplankton functional traits to community ecology in the North Atlantic Ocean


Understanding the mechanisms regulating marine phytoplankton communities is important because of the key roles they play in global biogeochemical cycles and climate. In this talk, I will discuss a new analysis of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, which provides a unique, long-term record of the diverse diatom and dinoflagellate communities in the North Atlantic Ocean. I have investigated the mechanisms regulating their community ecology by linking the mean annual cycles of abundance for 113 diatom and dinoflagellate taxa to taxon-specific data on two functional traits: trophic strategy (how a cell acquires nutrients and energy) and cell size. I will discuss evidence indicating: 1) A spring-to-summer trophic succession from photoautotrophs to mixotrophs to heterotrophs, 2) The dominance of "gleaners", typically small cells adapted for nutrient-deplete conditions, in summer, and 3) Predation rapidly balances growth, and that being able to grow fast is, at best, a temporary advantage. Lastly, I will discuss ongoing efforts for incorporating the lessons learned from this data analysis into new ecosystem models.