Phytoplankton diversity explained by connectivity across a mesoscale frontal system in the open ocean.

ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton community composition is important in establishing ecosystem structure and function. Intuitively, we recognize that water movements must be important for modifying spatial gradients and plankton diversity. However, identifying boundaries and exchange between habitats in the open ocean is not straightforward. Here, we use the abundance of nine phytoplankton species closely sampled in a mesoscale frontal system in the northeastern North Sea as a proxy for community composition and explore the relationship between phytoplankton biogeography and transport patterns. Subsurface community distributions could be related to modeled patterns in water movement. A methodology for analyzing pelagic diversity that includes a representation of plankton community composition and an Eulerian

SUBMITTER: Bendtsen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10371993 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature