title: Differential sunlight sensitivity of picophytoplankton from surface Mediterranean Coastal Waters.
abstract: We tested the sensitivity of coastal picophytoplankton exposed to natural sunlight in short-term experiments. Cell abundance and cell-specific chlorophyll fluorescence were significantly reduced in Prochlorococcus spp. but not in Synechococcus, whereas picoeukaryotes had an intermediate response. These results are the first direct evidence of a differential sensitivity to sunlight of these ubiquitous marine members of unicellular phytoplankton.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aquatic Photobiology and Plankton Ecology, Institute of Zoology and Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. ruben.sommaruga@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sommaruga
authors.forename: Julia S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alonso-Sáez
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gasol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D048929:Prochlorococcus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D013472:Sunlight; D046940:Synechococcus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002734:Chlorophyll