Nutrient response strategies drive coastal range shifts of phytoplankton taxa
Krinos, A. I.; Mars Brisbin, M.; Costa, A.; Shapiro, S. K.; Follows, M. J.; Freilich, M. A.; Alexander, H.
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Coastal phytoplankton blooms are important drivers of regional and global marine primary production. Recently documented increases in coastal phytoplankton blooms in the first quarter of the 21st century may be a consequence in part of changing environmental conditions and have important ecological implications. Here, we explore coastal phytoplankton dynamics in Cape Cod Bay, MA, USA. We use a 20-year phytoplankton ecology dataset to identify potential drivers of the increasing prevalence of two regionally-rare phytoplankton taxa: a coccolithophore thought to thrive in the global open ocean, and a dinoflagellate genus with potentially toxic members. Using metatranscriptomics, we show that these minor phytoplankton taxa leverage unique strategies to gain a competitive advantage under nutrient limitation compared to traditionally dominant taxa and compared to a diatom taxon that became modestly more abundant over the study period. Our results highlight the ecological dynamics arising from long-term shifts in temperature and nutrient status in coastal ecosystems.
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