Published

Co-author Alexi Shalapyonok secures FlowCytobot (FCB) underwater at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) tower. FCB, an automated submersible flow cytometer, operates unattended at MVCO for 6 months or longer, measuring thousands of individual microscopic plankton every hour.
Credit: Sean Whelan

Phytoplankton bloom dynamics at Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) are sensitive to temperature variability on both seasonal and decadal scales. Multi-year sampling has shown that the genetic background of phytoplankton is diverse and changes rapidly in coastal shelf waters. Ongoing NES LTER observations emphasize the complementary nature of multiple approaches (sequencing, imaging, and flow cytometry) to better document and understand changes in plankton diversity and how it impacts the ecosystem.

Learn more

  1. Peacock, EE et al. 2014. Parasitic infection of the diatom Guinardia delicatula, a recurrent and ecologically important phenomenon on the New England Shelf. Marine Ecology Progress Series. doi: 10.3354/ meps10784
  2. Hunter-Cevera, KR et al. 2016. Physiological and ecological drivers of early spring blooms of a coastal picophytoplankter. Science. doi:10.1126/science.aaf8536
  3. Rynearson, T et al. 2018. Impacts of microdiversity on succession and organism interactions in the plankton. 2018 Ocean Science Meeting, Portland, OR
  4. Sosik, HM. 2018. Sequencing, cytometry, and imaging provide complementary assessment of plankton communities in the MVCO time series. ICES Annual Science Conference 2018, Hamburg, Germany

Contact

Heidi Sosik
hsosik@whoi.edu

Posted:  July 16, 2020