Abstract
THE surface waters of the equatorial Pacific have unusually high nitrate and phosphate concentrations, but relatively low phyto-plankton biomass1–3. This 'high nitrate, low chlorophyll' (HNLC)4 phenomenon has been ascribed to 'top-down' grazing pressure by herbivores, which prevent the phytoplankton from fully utilizing the available nutrients5. In the late 1980s, however, Martin and co-workers proposed that iron, which is delivered to the remote open ocean in aeolean dust6, is the key factor limiting the standing crop of phytoplankton in HNLC areas7,8. Using a sensitive fluor-escence method9, we have followed changes in photochemical energy conversion efficiency9–10 of the natural phytoplankton com-munity both before and after artificial enrichment with iron of a small area (7.5 x 7.5 km) of the equatorial Pacific Ocean11. Our results show that iron limits phytoplankton photosynthesis in all size classes in this region by impairing intrinsic photochemical energy conversion, thereby supporting the hypothesis of physiologi-cal ('bottom up') limitation by this element.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sverdrup, H. U. J. Cons. perm. Int. Explor. Mer. 18, 287–295 (1953).
Reid, J. L. Jr, Limnol. Oceanogr. 7, 287–306 (1962).
Barber, R. T. & Chavez, F. P. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 1803–1815 (1991).
Minas, H., Minas, M. & Packard, T. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31, 1182–1206 (1986).
Walsh, J. Limnol. Oceanogr. 21, 1–13 (1976).
Duce, R. & Tindale, N. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 1715–1726 (1991).
Martin, J. H. & Fitzwater, S. E. Nature 331, 341–343 (1988).
Martin, J. H. in Primary Productivity and Biogeochemical Cycles in the Sea (eds Falkowski, P. G. & Woodhead, A. D.) 123–137 (Plenum, New York, 1992).
Kolber, Z. & Falkowski, P. G. Limnol. Oceanogr. 38, 1646–1665 (1993).
Falkowski, P. G., Greene, R. & Geider, R. Oceanography 5, 84–91 (1992).
Martin, J. H. et al. Nature 371, 123–129 (1994).
Butler, W. L. A. Rev. Pl. Physiol. 29, 345–378 (1978).
Krause, G. H. & Weis, E. A. Rev. Pl. Physiol. 42, 13–349 (1992).
Geider, R. J., Greene, R. M., Kolber, Z., Maclntyre, H. L. & Falkowski, P. G. Deep-Sea Res. 40, 1205–1224 (1993).
Kolber, Z., Zehr, J. & Falkowski, P. G. Pl. Physiol. 88, 72–79 (1988).
Falkowski, P. G. Photosyn. Res. 39, 235–238 (1994).
Greene, R. M., Kolber, Z. S., Swift, D. G., Tindale, N. W. & Falkowski, P. G. Limnol. Oceanogr. (in the press).
Hunter, C., Gordon, M., Fitzwater, S. & Johnson, K. EOS 5150 (1994).
Greene, R. M., Geider, R. J. & Falkowski, P. G. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 1772–1782 (1991).
Greene, R. M., Geider, R. J., Kolber, Z. & Falkowski, P. G. Pl. Physiol. 100, 565–575 (1992).
Falkowski, P. G., Ziemann, D., Kolber, Z. & Bienfang, P. K. Nature 352, 55–58 (1991).
Falkowski, P. G. in Primary Productivity and Biogeochemical Cycles in the Sea (eds Falkowski, P. G. & Woodhead, A. D.) 47–67 (Plenum, New York, 1992).
Kitajima, M. & Butler, W. L. Biochem. biophys. Acta 376, 105–115 (1975).
Lindley, S. T. thesis, Duke Univ. (1994).
Mauzerall, D. & Greenbaum, N. L. Biochim. biophys. Acta 974, 119–140 (1989).
Falkowski, P. G., Wyman, K., Ley, A. C. & Mauzerall, D. Biochim. biophys. Acta. 849, 183–192 (1986).
Morel, F. M. M., Reuter, J. G. & Price, N. M. Oceanography 4, 56–61 (1991).
Hudson, R. J. M. & Morel, F. M. M. Limnol. Oceanogr. 35, 1002–1020 (1990).
Sunda, W. G., Swift, D. & Huntsman, S. A. Nature 351, 55–58 (1991).
Brand, L. E. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 1756–1771 (1991).
Raven, J. New Phytol. 109, 279–287 (1988).
Barber, J. (ed.) The Photosystems: Structure Function and Molecular Biology (Topics in Photosynthesis Vol. 11) (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1992).
Roelofs, T. A., Gilbert, M., Schuvalov, V. A. & Holzwarth, A. R. Biochim. biophys. Acta 1060, 237–244 (1991).
Holzwarth, A. R. Photochem. Photobiol. 43, 707–725 (1986).
Falkowski, P. G., Kolber, Z. & Mauzerall, D. Biophys. J. 66, 923–925 (1994).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kolber , Z., Barber, R., Coale, K. et al. Iron limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Nature 371, 145–149 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/371145a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/371145a0
This article is cited by
-
Equatorial Pacific dust fertilization and source weathering influences on Eocene to Miocene global CO2 decline
Communications Earth & Environment (2023)
-
Insights into the bioavailability of oceanic dissolved Fe from phytoplankton uptake kinetics
The ISME Journal (2020)
-
Heme b distributions through the Atlantic Ocean: evidence for “anemic” phytoplankton populations
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Exogenous application of gibberellic acid and ascorbic acid improved tolerance of okra seedlings to NaCl stress
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum (2019)
-
Co-cultivation of siderophore-producing bacteria Idiomarina loihiensis RS14 with Chlorella variabilis ATCC 12198, evaluation of micro-algal growth, lipid, and protein content under iron starvation
Journal of Applied Phycology (2019)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.