Dissolved Organic Matter and Heterotrophic Microneuston in the Surface Microlayers of the North Atlantic

Authors

John McN. Sieburth, University of Rhode Island
Paula-Jean Willis, University of Rhode Island
Kenneth M. Johnson, University of Rhode Island
Curtis M. Burney, University of Rhode IslandFollow
Dennis M. Lavoie, University of Rhode Island
Kenneth R. Hinga, University of Rhode Island
David A. Caron, University of Rhode Island
Frederick W. French III, University of Rhode Island
Paul W. Johnson, University of Rhode Island
Paul G. Davis, University of Rhode Island

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Science

ISSN

0036-8075

Publication Date

12-24-1976

Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon, carbohydrates, and adenosine triphosphate in the size fractions 0.2 to 3 micrometers and 3 to 1000 micrometers are significantly enriched in the upper 150-micrometer surface layer compared to subsurface water, mean enrichment factors being 1.6, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.1, respectively. When calculated as a 0.1-micrometer microlayer of wet surfactants, the mean concentration of organic matter was 2.9 grams per liter, of which carbohydrates accounted for 28 percent. The data for plant pigments and particulate adenosine triphosphate indicated that bacterioneuston was enriched at seven of nine stations while phagotrophic protists were enriched at five stations. Instances of enrichment and inhibition were verified by cultural data for bacteria and amoebas. The observations indicate that the surface microlayers are largely heterotrophic microcosms, which can be as rich as laboratory cultures, and that an appreciable part of the dissolved organic carbon is carbohydrate of phytoplankton origin, released and brought to the surface by migrating and excreting phagotrophic protists.

DOI

10.1126/science.194.4272.1415

Volume

194

Issue

4272

First Page

1415

Last Page

1418

Comments

©Science 1976

Additional Comments

NSF grant #s: DES74-01537-A01, OCE74-01537-A02

NSUWorks Citation

John McN. Sieburth, Paula-Jean Willis, Kenneth M. Johnson, Curtis M. Burney, Dennis M. Lavoie, Kenneth R. Hinga, David A. Caron, Frederick W. French III, Paul W. Johnson, and Paul G. Davis. 1976. Dissolved Organic Matter and Heterotrophic Microneuston in the Surface Microlayers of the North Atlantic .Science , (4272) : 1415 -1418. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/643.