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Crenarchaea and phytoplankton coupling in sedimentary archives: Common trigger or metabolic dependence?
Author(s) -
Fietz Susanne,
Martínez-Garcia Alfredo,
Rueda Gemma,
Peck Vicky L.,
Huguet Carme,
Escala Marina,
Rosell-Melé Antoni
Publication year - 2011
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.2011.56.5.1907
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , chlorophyll a , environmental science , oceanography , abundance (ecology) , arctic , environmental chemistry , ecology , biology , nutrient , chemistry , geology , botany
The concentrations of chlorins (chlorophyll transformation products indicative of phytoplankton production) and crenarchaeol (a marker for Crenarchaea abundance) are significantly positively correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r s > 0.75) in four core records from freshwater (Lake Baikal) and marine settings (Southern, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans). This suggests a close relationship between Crenarchaea abundance and phytoplankton production. Degradation and transport mechanisms, as well as a common environmental trigger, may in part account for our observations, but these mechanisms alone cannot fully explain them. Instead our findings point to a metabolic dependence of Crenarchaea on resources released by phytoplankton, such as organic carbon or ammonium.