Atmospheric Deposition Promotes Relative Abundances of High‐Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Producers in the Western North Pacific
Haowen Li, Shengqian Zhou, Yucheng Zhu, Ruifeng Zhang, Fanghui Wang, Yang Bao, Ying Chen
Abstract
Abstract Haptophytes and Dinoflagellates are two cosmopolitan algae associated with dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) synthesis, which regulates the marine biogenic flux of DMS to the atmosphere with potential effects on global climate. Attempting to reveal the potential impact of atmospheric deposition on the growth of high‐DMSP producers, four bioassay experiments were conducted in the western North Pacific (WNP) by adding aerosols, nutrients, and trace metals. Our results showed that the percentage of high‐DMSP producers increased substantially from coastal seas (<1%) to the open ocean (∼17%) with the dominance of Dinophyceae and Haptophyceae, respectively. Aerosol additions largely increased the percentage of high‐DMSP producing species in the subtropical gyre of WNP. Specifically, atmospheric dissolved inorganic nitrogen, soluble Cu and Fe promoted Dinophyceae taxa, Chrysochromulina , and Phaeocystis and E. huxleyi , respectively. It is very likely that atmospheric deposition could lift the relative abundance of high‐DMSP producers in the vast oligotrophic oceans and potentially contribute to the climate change.