Survival mechanisms of phytoplankton in conditions of stratification‐induced deprivation of orthophosphate: Northern Adriatic case study

Phytoplankton abundance in the northern Adriatic during the summer 2008 indicated that the system was highly productive, in spite of low orthophosphate (PO 4 ) concentrations. Mechanisms by which phytoplankton adapted to PO 4 deprivation during the summer stratification were studied. In upper, more productive waters, phytoplankton induced high alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) to obtain phosphorus (P) from the dissolved organic pool, and the P turnover time mediated by phytoplankton APA was very short (2 min to 1.5 h). High‐affinity enzymatic activity combined with high hydrolysis rates enabled metabolic flexibility to the phytoplankton in this heterogeneous and fluctuating environment. Another possible mechanism of adaptation to the PO 4 deficit during the summer was a shift toward smaller cells. The smaller nanophytoplankton, supported by higher surface : volume ratios, were presumably able to produce more alkaline phosphatase, an exoenzyme bound to the cell surface. Progressive decrease of large cells and increase of smaller cells in the phytoplankton community during summer supported this hypothesis. In upper waters with low PO 4 concentrations, phytoplankton reduced their P demand by a preferential synthesis of non‐phospholipids. In bottom waters, phytoplankton abundance was markedly lower than in upper waters and growth was probably light limited. In these deeper waters with higher PO 4 concentrations, phytoplankton cells did not use APA to obtain P and were able to synthesize more phospholipids. In deeper waters, growth of bigger cells was favored.