Mesozooplankton taurine production and prokaryotic uptake in the northern Adriatic Sea.

ABSTRACT: Dissolved free taurine, an important osmolyte in phytoplankton and metazoans, has been shown to be a significant carbon and energy source for prokaryotes in the North Atlantic throughout the water column. However, the extent of the coupling between taurine production and consumption over a seasonal cycle has not been examined yet. We determined taurine production by abundant crustacean zooplankton and its role as a carbon and energy source for several prokaryotic taxa in the northern Adriatic Sea over a seasonal cycle. Taurine concentrations were generally in the low nanomolar range, reaching a maximum of 22 nmol L^-1 in fall during a Pseudonitzschia bloom and coinciding with the highest zooplankton taurine release rates. Taurine accounted for up to 5% of the carbon, 11% o

SUBMITTER: Clifford EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7891661 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature