AI Article Synopsis
- Carbon fixation by phytoplankton and the sinking of particulate material are crucial for the biological carbon pump, which helps regulate ocean carbon levels.
- The efficiency of this pump varies based on the size and type of phytoplankton; larger species like diatoms are more effective at transporting carbon to deeper waters.
- Recent research highlights that smaller phytoplankton, previously thought to have little impact, play a significant role in carbon export, particularly in nutrient-poor oceans where they dominate productivity.
Article Abstract
Carbon fixation by phytoplankton near the surface and the sinking of this particulate material to deeper waters are key components of the biological carbon pump. The efficiency of the biological pump is influenced by the size and taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton community. Large, heavily ballasted taxa such as diatoms sink quickly and thus efficiently remove fixed carbon from the upper ocean. Smaller, nonballasted species such as picoplanktonic cyanobacteria are usually thought to contribute little to export production. Research in the past decade, however, has shed new light on the potential importance of small phytoplankton to carbon export, especially in oligotrophic oceans, where small cells dominate primary productivity. Here, I examine the mechanisms and pathways through which small-phytoplankton carbon is exported from the surface ocean and the role of small phytoplankton in food webs of a variety of ocean ecosystems.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-121916-063627 | DOI Listing |
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