7.3 Factors Influencing Production

Paul Webb

For terrestrial plants, many factors affect productivity, including light, temperature, , soil, and water. For , soil is obviously not needed, and water availability is not an issue. Temperature is generally more stable in the ocean than on land, so for phytoplankton, productivity comes down to the availability of light and nutrients.

Light

Since light is vital for , phytoplankton and other primary producers are limited to the uppermost layers of the ocean where light is abundant enough to sustain the reaction. As depth increases, light intensity decreases until there reaches a depth where photosynthesis can no longer occur (Figure 7.3.1). The region through which sufficient light for photosynthesis can penetrate is called the or , which extends down to about 200 m (section 6.5).

In addition to undergoing photosynthesis, phytoplankton also respire, consuming some of the organic compounds they produce. Rates of respiration are not light dependent, and respiration occurs at all depths and light levels. Therefore, as depth increases the rate of photosynthesis declines as light is diminished, until a point is reached where the rate of photosynthesis equals the respiration rate (Figure 7.3.1). This depth is the , and it marks the lower level of the , and represents the depth where ends. Below this depth, there is net respiration.

Figure illustrating how as depth increases the rate of photosynthesis declines as light becomes limited. The rate of respiration remains consistent at all depths. The depth where photosynthesis equals respiration is the compensation depth
Figure 7.3.1 As depth increases the rate of photosynthesis declines as light becomes limited. The rate of respiration remains consistent at all depths. The depth where photosynthesis equals respiration is the compensation depth (PW).

Nutrients

Nutrients are required by all of the marine primary producers. The major nutrients required by phytoplankton are nitrogen and phosphorus, in the forms of nitrate NO3, nitrite NO22-, ammonium NH4+, and phosphate PO43-. Many phytoplankton, particularly the , also require silica, SiO2, for shell formation. All of these nutrients occur in very small amounts in seawater, so they are often the limiting factors for phytoplankton growth in most situations, particularly the nitrogen compounds. For example, agricultural soil contains 0.5% nitrogen in the upper meter of soil, while surface ocean water contains about 0.00005% nitrogen, 1/10,000 the amount in soil.

As we saw in section 5.6, nutrients are not distributed evenly throughout the water column (Figure 7.3.2). Near the surface nutrients are quickly utilized by phytoplankton as they become available, so surface waters are nutrient-poor. But as the phytoplankton are consumed or die they are recycled into particles of organic matter, such as fecal pellets or carcasses, that sink into deeper water. Once in deep water, decomposition of these materials releases the nutrients back into the water column. Because there are no producers to utilize them at depth, nutrients are more abundant in deeper water.

Representative nutrient profile in the open ocean. While this profile shows nitrate abundance, the profile is similar for other nutrients such as phosphate and silica - x-axis represents Nitrates and the y-axis represents depth in meters
Figure 7.3.2 Representative nutrient profile in the open ocean. While this profile shows nitrate abundance, the profile is similar for other nutrients such as phosphate and silica (PW).

These deep water nutrients are out of reach of the phytoplankton at the surface. The and density stratification of the water column generally prevents the nutrient-rich deep water from mixing with the surface water. However, under certain conditions this nutrient-rich deep water may be brought to the surface through the process of (see section 9.5). Where upwelling occurs there is usually high productivity as the phytoplankton can take advantage of the input of nutrients.

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7.3 Factors Influencing Production by Paul Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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