Seasonal measurements of the nitrogenous osmolyte glycine betaine in marine temperate coastal waters

Airs, RL, Beale, R, Polimene, L, Chen, Y, Mausz, MA, Scanlan, DJ, Widdicombe, CE, Tarran, GA, Woodward, EMS, Harris, C and McEvoy, AJ 2022 Seasonal measurements of the nitrogenous osmolyte glycine betaine in marine temperate coastal waters. Biogeochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-01006-7

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Abstract/Summary

Glycine betaine (GBT) is a nitrogenous osmolyte ubiquitous throughout the marine environ�ment. Despite its widespread occurrence and sig�nifcance in microbial cycling, knowledge of the seasonality of this compound is lacking. Here, we present a seasonal dataset of GBT concentrations in marine suspended particulate material. Analysing coastal waters in the Western English Channel, GBT peaked in summer and autumn but did not follow the observed maxima in total phytoplankton biomass orchlorophyll a. Instead, we found evidence that GBT concentrations were associated with specifc phyto�plankton groups or species, particularly in the sum�mer when GBT correlated with dinofagellate bio�mass. In contrast, autumn maxima corresponded with a period of rapidly changing salinity and nutrient availability, with potential contributions from some phytoplankton species and Harpacticoid copepods. This suggests distinct environmental drivers for dif�ferent periods of the GBT seasonality. Building on evidence that GBT and dinofagellate biomass peak in summer, concomitantly with low nutrients, we propose that GBT positively afects dinofagellate ftness, allowing them to outcompete other plank�ton when inorganic nutrients are depleted. By using this assumption, we improved the performance of a marine ecosystem model to reproduce the observed increase in dinofagellates biomass in the transition from spring to summer. This work sheds light on the interplay between phytoplankton succession, compet�itive advantage and changing environmental factors relevant to climate change. It paves the way for future multidisciplinary research aiming to understand the importance of dinofagellates in key coastal ecosys�tems and their potential signifcance for methylamine production, compounds relevant for particle growth in atmospheric chemistry.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Glycine betaine · Osmolytes · Phytoplankton · Marine · Dinofagellates · Western Channel Observatory
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > National Capability categories > National Capability Modelling Plymouth Marine Laboratory > National Capability categories > Single Centre NC - CLASS Plymouth Marine Laboratory > National Capability categories > Western Channel Observatory Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Biochemistry and Observations Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Ecology and Biodiversity Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine System Modelling
Depositing User:	S Hawkins
Date made live:	05 Jan 2023 16:54
Last Modified:	05 Jan 2023 16:54
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9841

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