Using Bottle Incubation Experiments to assess Nutrient Limitations and Plankton Community Interactions in the Red Sea during different Seasonal Cycles

Isabelle Katharina Schulz1, Xabier Irigoien1, John Pearman1 and Benjamin Kurten2, (1)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, (2)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division, Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Abstract:
To better understand which macro- or micronutrients (N, P, Si, Fe) could be limiting for phytoplankton growth in the oligotrophic environment of the Red Sea, bottle (2.0 L) incubation experiments with four different nutrient treatments (N+P; N+P+SI; N+P+Fe; N+P+Si+Fe) were performed on board the RV Thuwal in October 2014 and March 2015. Each experimental set-up consisted of 24 bottles in total. Initial water was collected at the central Red Sea at 10 m depths and for each treatment 3 bottles were filled. Additionally 4 control bottles and 8 bottles (2 for each treatment) for phytoplankton pigment analyses by High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) were filled. The experiment lasted for 6 days with daily sampling for nutrients and plankton composition; DNA-extraction and water samples. Conventional microscopy and plankton image analyzer: FlowCam was used to evaluate the plankton community. The response of the plankton community to the nutrient enrichment including iron was strongest. Within the phytoplankton community diatoms were most abundant. Pico-eukaryotes showed only minor response to any treatment.
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