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Dissolved organic carbon and bacterial populations in the gelatinous surface microlayer of a Norwegian fjord mesocosm

  1. Michael Cunliffe1,
  2. Matthew Salter2,
  3. Paul J. Mann2,
  4. Andrew S. Whiteley3,
  5. Robert C. Upstill-Goddard2,
  6. J. Colin Murrell1

Article first published online: 6 AUG 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01751.x

Issue

FEMS Microbiology Letters

FEMS Microbiology Letters

Volume 299, Issue 2, pages 248–254, October 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Cunliffe, M., Salter, M., Mann, P. J., Whiteley, A. S., Upstill-Goddard, R. C. and Murrell, J. C. (2009), Dissolved organic carbon and bacterial populations in the gelatinous surface microlayer of a Norwegian fjord mesocosm. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 299: 248–254. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01751.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

  2. 2

    Ocean Research Group, School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

  3. 3

    Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford, UK

*Correspondence: J. Colin Murrell, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK. Tel.: +44 24 7652 3553; fax: +44 24 7652 3568; e-mail: j.c.murrell@warwick.ac.uk

  1. Editor: Aharon Oren

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 15 SEP 2009
  2. Article first published online: 6 AUG 2009
  3. Received 12 June 2009; accepted 2 August 2009.Final version published online 1 September 2009.

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Keywords:

  • surface microlayer;
  • transparent exopolymer particles;
  • Bacteria;
  • phytoplankton bloom;
  • fjord;
  • dissolved organic carbon

Abstract

The sea surface microlayer is the interfacial boundary layer between the marine environment and the troposphere. Surface microlayer samples were collected during a fjord mesocosm experiment to study microbial assemblage dynamics within the surface microlayer during a phytoplankton bloom. Transparent exopolymer particles were significantly enriched in the microlayer samples, supporting the concept of a gelatinous surface film. Dissolved organic carbon and bacterial cell numbers (determined by flow cytometry) were weakly enriched in the microlayer samples. However, the numbers of Bacteria 16S rRNA genes (determined by quantitative real-time PCR) were more variable, probably due to variable numbers of bacterial cells attached to particles. The enrichment of transparent exopolymer particles in the microlayer and the subsequent production of a gelatinous biofilm have implications on air–sea gas transfer and the partitioning of organic carbon in surface waters.

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