Diel periodicity of photosynthesis in polar phytoplankton: influence on primary production

Journal Article · Fri Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.238.4831.1285· OSTI ID:6864240

Rivkin, R B; Putt, M

In the Southern Ocean, primary production estimated from seasonal chemical and geochemical changes is two to four times greater than the value calculated from carbon-14 uptake. Since carbon uptake had typically been measured only during midday incubation, the influence of diel periodicity of photosynthesis on daily productions was not considered. Phytoplankton from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, exhibited distinct, but seasonally variable diel patterns of light-saturated and light-limited photosynthesis. Maximum photosynthetic capacity occurred about noon in early September, and its occurrence progressively shifted to about midnight by late October. This shift was accompanied by a concomitant phase shift in the occurrence of minimum photosynthetic capacity from midnight to midday. Daily production estimated from time-of-day corrected photosynthetic characteristics and from 24-hour incubations was 2.5 to 4 times greater than that predicted from 6-hour midday incubations. If similar diel periodicity in photosynthesis occurs in other polar oceans, primary production would be significantly higher than previously estimated from carbon-14 uptake measurements.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Cambridge (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6864240
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 238
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANTARCTICA
PHYTOPLANKTON
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PRODUCTIVITY
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PLANKTON
POLAR REGIONS
SYNTHESIS
VARIATIONS
550501* - Metabolism- Tracer Techniques