How Is Phytoplankton Productivity Quantified?

This study aimed to estimate the primary productivity of phytoplankton in Wuliangsuhai Lake from April 2014 to January 2019, using monitoring and on-site measurements. The effects of changes in phytoplankton distribution, light attenuation, photoinhibition, and water temperatures can be modeled for reasonable estimates of primary productivity within the euphotic environment. The primary productivity (PP eu) of phytoplankton is a pivotal process in biological oceanography, accounting for roughly 98 of marine-system autotrophic production and 50 of global productivity.

Phytoplankton primary production is a pivotal process in biological oceanography, accounting for roughly 98 of marine-system autotrophic production and 50 of global productivity. Understanding the spatio-temporal variability in phytoplankton productivity is essential for improving our understanding of global carbon dynamics. Current methods for estimating phytoplankton primary productivity include the black and white bottle method, the isotope method, and the STAF range.

The primary productivity due to photosynthesis is commonly measured by quantifying oxygen production or CO2 assimilation. In most studies, primary productivity is measured using the uptake of radio-labelled CO2 in the form of NaH14CO3, a technique developed by Steemann Nielsen. The 14C-radiotracer method is used to measure the primary productivity of phytoplankton.

In conclusion, understanding the factors driving spatio-temporal variability in phytoplankton productivity is crucial for improving our understanding of global carbon dynamics.

How is productivity measured?

A labor productivity index is calculated by dividing output by hours worked, with all indexes having the same base period. Average annual percent changes measure change over several periods at an average yearly rate. Productivity levels or productivity indexes can be used to calculate average annual percent changes. The level of productivity is the ratio of output to inputs, with labor being the input for labor productivity and other measures using combined inputs.

What tools can be used to measure phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton, a crucial component of the food web in fertilized aquaculture ponds, are essential for dissolved oxygen and turbidity. They remove carbon dioxide and ammonia nitrogen from the water, which can be harmful at high concentrations to culture species. However, excessive phytoplankton can cause high pH, low dissolved oxygen concentrations, and shallow thermal stratification of the water column. Some species of blue-green algae produce odorous chemical compounds that can be absorbed by fish and shrimp, causing off-flavors.

Some algae, including certain species, produce toxic substances, and pigments from blue-green algae can cause discoloration of shrimp heads during processing. Tools like Secchi disks and turbidimeters are commonly used to assess phytoplankton abundance.

What are the most productive phytoplankton?

Ocean productivity is primarily the production of organic matter by phytoplankton, which are photoautotrophs that harvest light to convert inorganic to organic carbon. These phytoplankton supply this organic carbon to diverse heterotrophs, such as bacteria, zooplankton, nekton, and benthos.

There are many nested cycles of carbon associated with ocean productivity, including gross primary production (GPP), net primary production (NPP), secondary production (SP), and net ecosystem production (NEP). Gross primary production (GPP) refers to the total rate of organic carbon production by autotrophs, while respiration (RP) refers to the energy-yielding oxidation of organic carbon back to carbon dioxide. Net primary production (NPP) is GPP minus the autotrophs’ own rate of respiration, which is the rate at which the full metabolism of phytoplankton produces biomass.

Secondary production (SP) typically refers to the growth rate of heterotrophic biomass. Only a small fraction of the organic matter ingested by heterotrophic organisms is used to grow, with the majority being respired back to dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrients that can be reused by autotrophs. Fisheries rely on SP and depend on both NPP and the efficiency with which organic matter is transferred up the foodweb.

Net ecosystem production (NEP) is GPP minus the respiration by all organisms in the ecosystem. The value of NEP depends on the boundaries defined for the ecosystem. For example, NEP for the sunlit surface ocean down to the 1 light level over an entire year is equivalent to particulate organic carbon sinking into the dark ocean interior plus the dissolved organic carbon being circulated out of the euphotic zone.

Productivity in the surface ocean is connected to nutrient cycling, with the blue cycle representing net ecosystem production (NEP) and the red cycle representing the fate of organic matter produced in the surface ocean. The green cycle represents the internal respiration of phytoplankton themselves, using photosynthesis products for purposes other than growth.

These nested cycles result in gross primary production (GPP) representing gross photosynthesis and net primary production (NPP) representing phytoplankton biomass production that forms the basis of the food web. While new nutrient supply and export production are ultimately linked by mass balance, there may be imbalances on small scales of space and time, allowing for brief accumulations of biomass.

What is the primary productivity of phytoplankton?

Primary productivity is the amount of organic material produced per unit area per unit time, or as the product of phytoplankton biomass times phytoplankton growth rate. Marine primary production is crucial for food web dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, and marine fisheries. Phytoplankton, the photosynthetic (plant) component, is the foundation of the aquatic food web and contains chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, chlorophyll-c, and photosynthetic carotenoids.

These pigments absorb solar energy and convert carbon dioxide and water into high-energy organic carbon compounds, fueling growth by synthesizing essential components like amino acids, lipids, protein, polysaccharides, pigments, and nucleic acids. The photosynthetic process produces gross primary production, while respiration releases carbon dioxide, leaving a net photosynthetic fixation of inorganic carbon into autotrophic biomass.

Phytoplankton in the ocean contributes to roughly half of the planetary net primary production. Primary production acts as a biological pump, removing carbon from the surface ocean and playing a global role in climate change by sinking fixed organic matter.

How is plant productivity measured?

Plant productivity is the rate at which plants gain new organic matter through photosynthesis, contributing to the structure and functioning of terrestrial habitats. It is the basis of all heterotrophic levels and is influenced by environmental factors like light, temperature, and precipitation, which are most prevalent in the tropics and decrease towards the poles. Biotic factors, including negative and positive interactions, also play a crucial role in influencing plant productivity.

It is measured through harvest analysis or indirectly through associated parameters. Understanding plant productivity is essential for limiting climate change, as it absorbs and fixes 30% of CO2 produced annually through anthropogenic activities. Two types of plant productivity are Gross primary productivity and Net primary productivity.

How to measure phytoplankton productivity?

Phytoplankton primary production can be measured using oxygen and carbon dioxide tracers or fluorometric techniques. On a global scale, phytoplankton primary production can be estimated using models calibrated with in situ data and satellite data. Phytoplankton plasticity drives large variability in carbon fixation efficiency. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics in nine sub-systems of the Sylt-Rømø Bight ecosystem, German Wadden Sea. An absorption-based algorithm for primary production for total and size-fractionated phytoplankton in coastal waters is also being developed.

What is the productivity of phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton productivity relies on the absorption and utilization of light by photosynthetic light-harvesting pigments, including Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). This information is sourced from ScienceDirect, a website that uses cookies and is copyrighted by Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

How do you measure abundance of phytoplankton?

The Utermöhl inverted light microscopical method is employed by experts in the field to monitor phytoplankton species composition, abundance, and biomass from preserved water samples.

How do you calculate phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton counting is a method that has been developed with the objective of estimating the total number of plankton in a given volume of water. This is achieved through the use of a hemocytometer device. This entails the deposition of a water sample on a diminutive grid-shaped slide.

How is phytoplankton estimated?

The estimation of nutrient-unlimited phytoplankton growth and production rates can be based on constants such as μmax, Φmax, and kc, as well as free variables including light, temperature, and chlorophyll concentration. This information is sourced from ScienceDirect, a website that employs cookies and holds copyright for text and data mining, AI training, and analogous technologies.

How do you measure productivity in plant ecology?

The net primary productivity of a crop can be estimated by comparing the difference in standing crop biomass between harvest periods. This difference can then be converted to calories using a calorimeter.