title: Physiological and ecological drivers of early spring blooms of a coastal phytoplankter.
abstract: Climate affects the timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms that fuel marine food webs and influence global biogeochemical cycles. Changes in bloom timing have been detected in some cases, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, contributing to uncertainty in long-term predictions of climate change impacts. Here we describe a 13-year hourly time series from the New England shelf of data on the coastal phytoplankter Synechococcus, during which the timing of its spring bloom varied by 4 weeks. We show that multiyear trends are due to temperature-induced changes in cell division rate, with earlier blooms driven by warmer spring water temperatures. Synechococcus loss rates shift in tandem with division rates, suggesting a balance between growth and loss that has persisted despite phenological shifts and environmental change.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Hunter-Cevera
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Neubert
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Solow
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Alexi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shalapyonok
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Heidi M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Sosik
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D005068:Eutrophication; D020387:Food Chain; D009511:New England; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000254:growth & development*; D012621:Seasons; D046940:Synechococcus / Q000254:growth & development*; D013696:Temperature