Latitudinal patterns in ocean C:N:P reflect phytoplankton acclimation and macromolecular composition.

ABSTRACT: The proportions of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in surface ocean particulate matter deviate greatly from the canonical Redfield Ratio (C:N:P = 106:16:1) in space and time with significant implications for global carbon storage as this matter reaches the deep ocean. Recent work has revealed clear latitudinal patterns in C:N:P, yet the relative importance of ecological, physiological, or biochemical processes in creating these patterns is unclear. We present high-resolution, concurrent measurements of particulate C:N:P, macromolecular composition, environmental conditions, and plankton community composition from a transect spanning a subtropical-subpolar boundary, the North Pacific Transition Zone. We find that the summed contribution of macromolecules to particulate C, N, an

SUBMITTER: Liefer JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11572967 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature