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Diel buoyancy regulation in the marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii
Author(s) -
Villareal Tracy A.,
Carpenter Edward J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1990.35.8.1832
Subject(s) - diel vertical migration , trichodesmium , cyanobacteria , oceanography , limnetic zone , buoyancy , phytoplankton , diazotroph , geology , biology , environmental science , ecology , littoral zone , nutrient , bacteria , nitrogen fixation , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics
Trichodesmium thiebautii suspension characteristics were studied in four diel cycles from the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean Sea. Positively buoyant colony frequency peaked near sunrise (69–80%), and decreased during the day to a minimum at or near sundown (18–32%). Negatively buoyant colonies varied inversely in frequency. Experimental results are consistent with carbohydrate‐ballasting mechanisms observed in limnetic cyanobacteria. Active buoyance reversals observed in Trichodesmium can account for the frequently observed subsurface maxima of Trichodesmium and may permit diel vertical migration.