Iron Limitation Modulates Ocean Acidification Effects on Southern Ocean Phytoplankton Communities

Abstract

The potential interactive effects of iron (Fe) limitation and Ocean Acidification in the Southern Ocean (SO) are largely unknown. Here we present results of a long-term incubation experiment investigating the combined effects of CO ₂ and Fe availability on natural phytoplankton assemblages from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Active Chl a fluorescence measurements revealed that we successfully cultured phytoplankton under both Fe-depleted and Fe-enriched conditions. Fe treatments had significant effects on photosynthetic efficiency (F _v/F _m; 0.3 for Fe-depleted and 0.5 for Fe-enriched conditions), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and relative electron transport rates (rETR). pCO ₂ treatments significantly affected NPQ and rETR, but had no effect on F _v/F _m. Under Fe limitation, increased pCO ₂ had no influence on C fixation whereas under Fe enrichment, primary production increased with increasing pCO ₂ levels. These CO ₂-dependent changes in productivity under Fe-enriched conditions were accompanied by a pronounced taxonomic shift from weakly to heavily silicified diatoms (i.e. from Pseudo-nitzschia sp. to Fragilariopsis sp.). Under Fe-depleted conditions, this functional shift was absent and thinly silicified species dominated all pCO ₂ treatments ( Pseudo-nitzschia sp. and Synedropsis sp. for low and high pCO ₂, respectively). Our results suggest that Ocean Acidification could increase primary productivity and the abundance of heavily silicified, fast sinking diatoms in Fe-enriched areas, both potentially leading to a stimulation of the biological pump. Over much of the SO, however, Fe limitation could restrict this possible CO ₂ fertilization effect.