Organisms

Plankton: organisms that weakly swim or go where the water takes them
Phytoplankton

Periphyton: benthic algae Epiphyton: algae growing on macrophytes

Phytoplankton taxonomy
Was once based on morphology or pigments, now more molecular. See Graham and Wilcox 2000 Algae for more information. Usually grouped in Divisions (VARIABLE!) Also often grouped by
Size Mobility (motility)
Flagella: movable filament that can be used to propel organism through the water Gas vacuoles

Phytoplankton groupings, con't

Origin:
Periphyton (benthic) Tychoplankton (detach from benthos) Meroplankton (part of life on sediments) Euplankton/holoplankton (entire life in water column) Potomoplankton (resuspended algae in lotic systems)

Phytoplankton Taxonomy (Divisions)

Cyanophyta - cyanobacteria Chlorophyta - green algae Euglenophyta - single flagella Bacillariophyta - diatoms Chrysophyta - golden brown algae Cryptophyta - flagellated Pyrophyta - dinoflagellates

Cyanobacteria

~1,350 species

Prokaryotes: lack plastids and distinct membrane bound nucleus Photosynthesize functionally like plants Chloroplasts of other algae and plants originated from cyanobacteria through endosymbiosis

Cyanobacteria, con't
Often dominant, esp. eutrophic lakes
Some species fix N (heterocysts) Large cyanobacteria often dominate due to disproportionate losses of other species Allelopathy (toxic or inhibitory effects on other species)

Anabaena 400x

Buoyant (gas vacuoles)

heterocysts

Cyanobacteria, con't
Resting stages:
thick-walled resting cells (cysts) called akinetes (Anabaena & Aphanizomenon) Vegetative resting stage (Mycrocystis)

linkage between benthos and pelagic

Chlorophyta: Green algae

~2,400 species

Eukaryotes Includes unicellular flagellated and nonflagellated cells, colonies and filaments and macroalgae (Chara) Represent 40-60% species with high biomass contribution in eutrophic and hypereutrophic lakes Often dominate benthic algae

Spirogyra 200x Volvox

Chlorophyta
Cladophora 40x

Hydrodictyon 40x

Chlamydomonas 400x

Chlorophyta
Scenedesmus 600x

Assorted desmids

Euglenophyta
Small to medium sized flagellated species Often abundant in well-mixed eutrophic ponds and littoral areas
Euglena

~1,020 species

www.mib.uga.edu/.../mibo3000/ eukaryotic/01232001.html

bio.rutgers.edu/euglena/ mainpage.htm

Bacillariophyta - diatoms
Wide range in size: 2um - 2mm Require silica (Si) to build frustules

~5,000 species

abundant during mixing when Si abundant when lake stratifies, diatoms sink to bottom & remove Si from epilimnion

Heavy & no flagella: sink after stratification & form resting stage on sediments: viable after 100's years Two groups:
pennate: bilaterally symmetrical centric: radially symmetrical

Diatoms

www.mib.uga.edu/.../mibo3000/ eukaryotic/diatoms.jpg

www.cnas.smsu.edu/labimages/ Biology/Bio122/week1.htm

Chrysophyta
Small single-celled flagellates and flagellated colonies Common in oligotrophic clear lakes and humic lakes Often codominate with cryptophytes Diatoms are often grouped under chrysophyta

~450 species

Synura, http://microbes.limnology.wisc.edu/outreach/majorgroups.php

Cryptophyta
Small or medium-sized flagellates Common in oligotrophic lakes Single-cell cryptophytes, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates main food of rotifers and crustacean zooplankton (next week!) Mixotrophic (more than one more of nutrition): eat bacteria & smallest algae

~100 species

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/taxonomy/Phytomastigophora/Cryptophyta/Cryptomonadaceae.html

Pyrophyta - dinoflagellates ~ 220 species

Motile (flagellates) Have resting cysts Some do not have chlorophyll Red tide in the ocean Peridinium
Ceratium

www.cnas.smsu.edu/labimages/ Biology/Bio122/week1.htm

Size
influences - growth rate - energy paths (consumption) - sinking time

Size
E Daphnia head (e - eye) (large zooplankton) A bacterium

Picoplankton (0.2-2 m dia) Nanoplankton (2-30 m dia) Microplankton (30-200 m dia) < 30 m = edible algae

C Scenedesmus (green) B Cryptomonas (Cryptomonad) D Keratella (small zooplankton)

Influences of size
Pico- and nanoplankton: high rates of production
Large surface to volume ratio (exchange of nutrients) Very slow sinking rates Nanoplankton are tasty

Microplankton
Sink faster Grow slower Not tasty

Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis= fixing carbon
nCO2 + nH2O ------> (CH2O)n + nO2
(n=# molecules)

Change in population biomass = growth - consumption sinking Growth=photosynthesis

Compensation point
Compensation point: photosynthesis = respiration Maximize the amount of time spent above the compensation point (in the light)

Ways to stay in light

Mixing
sink slow enough to stay in mixed epilimnion

Mobility
flagella gas vacuoles

Change sinking rate

change shape or density

modifications

Muscilaginous cover around Staurastrum species (green) - reduce sinking (to a point) - reduce consumption (or digestion)

Effects of light & temperature on photosynthesis

Photosynthesis rate (mg C)

Light Limited (photochemical rxns)

Light Saturated (enzymatic rxns limited by temp)

Maximum photosynthesis

Photoinhibited

Available light

Biomass

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis distribution= specific primary production * light climate * algae biomass Mesotrophic epilimnion (well mixed) Eutrophic with surface bloom Oligotrophic with max. biomass at metalimnion Shallow transparent lakes with max. biomass on bottom

Depth

Depth distribution of photosynthesis

Trophogenic zone ~ euphotic zone Note that phytoplankton on the surface of hypereutrophic lakes shade out the water column

Factors influencing seasonal distribution

Physical
Temperature Light

Limiting nutrients
silica nitrogen phosphorus

Biological
competition resources, sinking

Biological
grazing parasitism

Seasonal distribution in a temperate, dimictic lake

(green) (diatoms)

1. Light limited: small, often motile (but productive) 2. Light increasing,still ice cover, no mixing (dynoflagellates can swim up towards light)

3. Spring mixing: high nutrients, low grazing, increasing light, diatoms dominate

4. Initial stratification: diatoms settle & die, loss of Si to < 0.5 mg/L

5. Clearwater phase: high light availability, warm temperatures, but many herbivores and reduction of nutrients leads to population crashes

6. Mid-summer stratification: Cyanobacteria dominate (fix N, migrate between nutrient-rich lower depths & epilimnion)

7. Fall mixing: high nutrients, less light, diatoms dominate again with increases in Si 8. Late autumn decline

The plankton

Global Primary Productivity

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/95573main_plankton_satellite.jpg

Localized Primary Productivity

In tropical regions, there is plenty of sunlight but productivity is limited by nutrients trapped beneath the thermocline In polar regions, there are plenty of nutrients, but sunlight (and sinking out of the photic zone via mixing) limits productivity In temperate regions, the combination of sunlight and nutrients is just right, but only seasonally!

Tropical Productivity Profile

Primary Productivity in Temperate Regions

Localized primary productivity occurs seasonally, accompanied by physical changes to the water column In temperate regions, primary productivity is limited by light (winter) and by nutrients (summer) Peak productivity occurs during spring, in an abundance of phytoplankton known as a spring bloom

Compensation Depth
Net primary productivity is the amount of carbon dioxide produced via photosynthesis minus the amount of carbon dioxide released by respiration Compensation depth refers to the depth in the water column at which the rate of photosynthesis equals the rate of respiration
Above this depth, phytoplankton survive Below this depth, phytoplankton die