Description: Investigation of marine eukaryotic picoplankton composition is limited by missing morphological features for appropriate identification. Consequently, molecular methods are required. In this study, we used 454-pyrosequencing to study picoplankton communities at four stations in the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC; Fram Strait). High abundances of Micromonas pusilla were detected in the station situated closest to Spitsbergen, as seen in surveys of picoplankton assemblages in the Beaufort Sea. At the other three stations, other phylotypes, affiliating with Phaeocystis pouchetii and Syndiniales in the phylogenetic tree, were present in high numbers, dominating most of them. The picoplankton community structures at three of the stations, all with similar salinity and temperature, were alike. At the fourth station, the influence of the East Spitsbergen Current, transporting cold water from the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen, causes different abiotic parameters that result in a significantly different picoeukaryote community composition, which is dominated by M. pusilla. This observation is particularly interesting with regard to ongoing environmental changes in the Arctic. Ongoing warming of the WSC could convey a new picoplankton assemblage into the Arctic Ocean, which may come to affect the dominance of M. pusilla.

Description: Protists in the central Arctic Ocean are adapted to the harsh environmental conditions of its various habitats. During the Polarstern cruise ARK-XXVI/3 in 2011, at one sea-ice station, large aggregates accumulated at the bottom of the melt ponds. In this study, the protist assemblages of the bottom layer of the sea-ice and melt-pond aggregate were investigated using flow cytometry and 454-pyrosequencing. The objective is to provide a first molecular overview of protist biodiversity in these habitats and to consider the overlaps and/or differences in the community compositions. Results of flow cytometry pointed to a cell size distribution that was dominated by 3–10 µm nanoflagellates. The phylogenetic classification of all sequences was conducted at a high taxonomic level, while a selection of abundant (≥1% of total reads) sequences was further classified at a lower level. At a high taxonomic level, both habitats showed very similar community structures, dominated by chrysophytes and chlorophytes. At a lower taxonomic level, dissimilarities in the diversity of both groups were encountered in the abundant biosphere. While sea-ice chlorophytes and chrysophytes were dominated by Chlamydomonas/Chloromonas spp. and Ochromonas spp., the melt-pond aggregate was dominated by Carteria sp., Ochromonas spp. and Dinobryon faculiferum. We suppose that the similarities in richness and community structure are a consequence of melt-pond freshwater seeping through porous sea ice in late summer. Differences in the abundant biosphere nevertheless indicate that environmental conditions in both habitats vary enough to select for different dominant species.

Description: Our ability to understand the complex interactions of biological, chemical, physical, and geological processes in the ocean and on land is still limited by the lack of integrative and interdisciplinary observation infrastructures. The main purpose of the planned open-ocean infrastructure FRAM (FRontiers in Arctic marine Monitoring) is permanent presence at sea, from surface to depth, for the provision of near real-time data on climate variability and ecosystem change in a marine Arctic system. The Alfred-Wegener-Institut - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), together with partner institutes in Germany and Europe, aims at providing such infrastructure for the polar ocean as a major contribution to the grand challenges of Earth observation and environmental status. The FRAM Ocean Observing System targets the gateway between the North Atlantic and the Central Arctic, representing a highly climate-sensitive and rapidly changing region of the Earth system. It will serve national and international tasks towards a better understanding of the effects of change in ocean circulation, water mass properties and sea-ice retreat on Arctic marine ecosystems and their main functions and services. FRAM will implement existing and nextgeneration sensors and observatory platforms, allowing synchronous observation of relevant ocean variables, as well as the study of physical, chemical and biological processes in the water column and at the seafloor. Experimental and event-triggered platforms will complement observational platforms. Products of the infrastructure are continuous long-term data with appropriate resolution in space and time, as well as ground-truthing information for ocean models and remote sensing. FRAM will integrate and develop already existing observatories, i.e. the oceanographic mooring array HAFOS (Hybrid Arctic/Antarctic Float Observing System) and the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site HAUSGARTEN.

Description: We determined the composition and structure of late summer eukaryotic protist assemblages along a west–east transect in the Amundsen Sea. We used state-of-the-art molecular approaches, such as automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 454-pyrosequencing, combined with pigment measurements via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to study the protist assemblage. We found characteristic offshore and inshore communities. In general, total chlorophyll a and microeukaryotic contribution were higher in inshore samples. Diatoms were the dominant group across the entire area, of which Eucampia sp. and Pseudo-nitzschia sp. were dominant inshore and Chaetoceros sp. was dominant offshore. At the most eastern station, the assemblage was dominated by Phaeocystis sp. Under the ice, ciliates showed their highest and haptophytes their lowest abundance. This study delivers a taxon detailed overview of the eukaryotic protist composition in the Amundsen Sea during the summer 2010.

Description: The introduction of molecular methods has facilitated the investigation of physiology, ecology, and distribution of phytoplankton species, especially of those that are missing distinct morphological features. Previous publications have shown the power of the analysis of ribosomal genes (rRNA-genes) to gain new insights into the phylogeny, for taxonomical identification or the community structure of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic micro organisms.This course is dedicated to introduce you to relevant basics and methodologies related to the assessment of marine molecular ecology. In particular, the course is designed to demonstrate the basics of PCR-based approaches, and the potential and advantages of the analysis of rRNA-genes for the assessment of marine phytoplankton biodiversity.