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Diel light cycles affect phytoplankton competition in the global ocean

Ioannis Tsakalakis, Michael J. Follows, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Christopher L. Follett, Joseph J. Vallino
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.19.444874
Ioannis Tsakalakis
1Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
2Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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  • For correspondence: itsakalakis@mbl.edu
Michael J. Follows
2Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Stephanie Dutkiewicz
2Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Christopher L. Follett
2Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Joseph J. Vallino
1Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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Abstract

Light, essential for photosynthesis, is present in two periodic cycles in nature: seasonal and diel. Although seasonality of light is typically resolved in ocean ecosystem and biogeochemistry models because of its significance for seasonal succession and biogeography of phytoplankton, the diel light cycle is generally not resolved. Here we use a three-dimensional global ocean model and compare high temporal resolution simulations with and without diel light cycles. The model simulates 15 phytoplankton types of different cell size, encompassing two broad ecological strategies: small cells with high nutrient affinity (gleaners) and larger cells with high maximal growth rate (opportunists). Both are grazed by zooplankton and limited by nitrogen, phosphorus and iron. Simulations show that diel cycles of light induce diel cycles in phytoplankton populations and limiting nutrients in the global ocean. Diel nutrient cycles are associated with higher concentration of limiting nutrients by up to 200% at low latitudes (-40° to 40°), a process that increases opportunists’ biomass by up to 50%. Size classes with the highest maximal growth rates from both gleaner and opportunist groups are favored the most by diel light cycles. This mechanism weakens as latitude increases because the effects of the seasonal cycle dominate over those of the diel cycle. The present work shows that resource competition under diel light cycles has a significant impact on phytoplankton biogeography, indicating the necessity of resolving diel processes in global ocean models.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted May 21, 2021.
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Diel light cycles affect phytoplankton competition in the global ocean
Ioannis Tsakalakis, Michael J. Follows, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Christopher L. Follett, Joseph J. Vallino
bioRxiv 2021.05.19.444874; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.19.444874
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Diel light cycles affect phytoplankton competition in the global ocean
Ioannis Tsakalakis, Michael J. Follows, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Christopher L. Follett, Joseph J. Vallino
bioRxiv 2021.05.19.444874; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.19.444874

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