Dynamics of soluble extracellular polymeric ­substances and transparent exopolymer particle pools in coastal ecosystems

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 427:13-27 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09049 Dynamics of soluble extracellular polymeric ­substances and transparent exopolymer particle pools in coastal ecosystems Cécile Klein1, Pascal Claquin1,*, Alexandrine Pannard1,2, Camille Napoléon1, Bertrand Le Roy1, Benoît Véron1 1UMR100 UCBN-Ifremer Physiologie et d’Ecophysiologie des Mollusques Marins, Université Caen Basse-Normandie, 14032 Caen Cedex, France 2UMR CNRS 6553 – ECOBIO, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes, France *Email: pascal.claquin@unicaen.fr ABSTRACT: Time series of soluble extracellular polymeric substance (S-EPS) and transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) fractions, as well as biological, physical and chemical parameters, were studied in natural phytoplankton assemblages at 2 macrotidal sites located in the English Channel for 3 yr. The first site, the Bay des Veys (BDV), is sheltered from prevailing winds and influenced by a high river discharge, whereas the second, Lingreville-sur Mer (LGV), is exposed to the open ocean and to dominant winds. At both sites, the highest TEP concentrations were measured in spring and summer (1735 and 3604 µg equiv X l–1 at BDV and LGV, respectively) and were correlated with ­phytoplankton biomass and nitrogen concentrations. During the autumn and winter, TEP dynamics were not related to phytoplankton dynamics but appeared controlled by hydrodynamics. In contrast to TEP concentrations, S-EPS did not present any seasonal dynamics and was not correlated with TEP variations. The highest amount of S-EPS was recorded in spring at LGV (25.8 mg equiv. glucose l–1) and in summer at BDV (26.4 mg equiv. glucose l–1). The S-EPS pool was separated in 2 fractions according to the molecular weight: low (LW) and high (HW). The LW fraction was produced in higher quantity than the HW fraction, and with larger temporal fluctuations. Therefore, both S-EPS fractions seem controlled by different environmental parameters depending on the season and on the studied ecosystem. The different dynamics observed for TEP and S-EPS confirm the complexity of carbon excretion processes in phytoplankton, and the results reveal different metabolic pathways and different origins for these carbon excretions. KEY WORDS: Transparent exopolymer particles · TEP · Soluble EPS · Diatoms · Eastern English Channel · Environmental parameters Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Klein C, Claquin P, Pannard A, Napoléon C, Le Roy B, Véron B (2011) Dynamics of soluble extracellular polymeric ­substances and transparent exopolymer particle pools in coastal ecosystems. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 427:13-27. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09049 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 427. Online publication date: April 12, 2011 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.