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Date Permissions Signed
6-19-2020
Date of Award
Spring 2020
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Biology
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Strom, Suzanne L., 1959-
Second Advisor
Bingham, Brian L., 1960-
Third Advisor
Olson, M. Brady (Michael Brady)
Abstract
Episodic iron input from natural sources (e.g., riverine input, dust deposition, and mesoscale eddies) plays an important role in dictating phytoplankton growth, physiology, and community structure in the high-nitrate low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA). Iron addition experiments utilizing the synthetic iron source, FeCl3, have been performed in all major HNLC regions and have resulted in diatom blooms with significant implications for ecosystem productivity and resilience. If FeCl3 and natural iron sources differ in bioavailability, and hence potential phytoplankton production, re-interpretation of these results is warranted. To test the hypothesis that natural and synthetic iron sources are differentially bioavailable, we performed a deck-board iron addition experiment in the summer of 2019. We exposed the NGA HNLC phytoplankton community to three iron sources: FeCl3, the Copper River plume, and an HNLC control and assessed net growth, photosynthetic efficiency, community composition, and nutrient use over a 5 d incubation. Addition of the FeCl3 and Copper River plume iron sources alleviated iron stress for the total phytoplankton community, yet the bioavailability of these two iron sources was size-dependent. Cells > 20 µm responded differently to all three iron sources, with net growth rates and photosynthetic efficiency being highest in the FeCl3 treatment and intermediate in the Copper River plume treatment. In contrast to cells > 20 µm, phytoplankton < 20 µm responded similarly to the Copper River plume and FeCl3 treatments. Consistent with previous experiments, FeCl3 addition promoted diatom growth. However, the Copper River plume iron source primarily increased the production and turnover of cells < 20 µm. We conclude that diatom growth and physiology measured in previous iron addition experiments in response to FeCl3 do not directly translate to fluvial iron sources. We also suggest that fluvial iron input is critical to maintaining ultraplankton in NGA HNLC waters and that it may aid the rapid transport of biomass into secondary production with the addition of more highly bioavailable iron sources.
Type
Text
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1165379168
Subject – LCSH
Marine productivity--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of; Iron--Bioavailability--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of; Phytoplankton--Effect of iron on--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of
Geographic Coverage
Alaska, Gulf of (Alaska)
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Mazur, Clayton, "Comparing the bioavailability of a natural and synthetic iron source: Do past experiments accurately model phytoplankton response to episodic iron addition?" (2020). WWU Graduate School Collection. 966.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/966