Enhanced formation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) under turbulence during phytoplankton growth

Abstract

Abstract Small-scale turbulence in the surface ocean is ubiquitous, influencing phytoplankton dynamics with consequences for energy flow. The underlying mechanisms that drive changes in phytoplankton dynamics under turbulence are not well constrained. We investigated growth of four phytoplankton species at different turbulence levels in oscillating grid tanks. We also measured transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) from phytoplankton exudates, which play a major role in biogeochemical fluxes in the ocean. Turbulence levels in the tanks reflected in situ conditions in surface waters from the open ocean to higher turbulent environments such as estuaries. Growth rates were unaffected by turbulence while TEP concentrations as xanthan gum (XG) equivalents normalized to algal cells showed generally higher levels in the high turbulence compared to the low turbulence treatments particularly during initial algal growth. Results from a mixing experiment without algal cells and XG also revealed enhanced formation of TEP-like particles under high mixing conditions, indicating that TEP formation in the phytoplankton turbulence treatments was mainly driven by physical processes, such as enhanced encounter rates of TEP-precursors under high mixing. Our results underline the importance of small-scale turbulence on TEP formation with possible consequences for particle aggregation and vertical carbon fluxes in the ocean.