Bacterioplankton responses to iron enrichment during the SAGE experiment

We studied the microbial food web in the upper 100 m of the water column in iron-limited sub-Antarctic HNLC waters south-east of New Zealand in the SAGE experiment in 2004, with focus on bacterioplankton. Samples were collected daily from inside and outside the iron enriched patch. Short term enrichment experiments were conducted on board in 4 L polycarbonate bottles with water outside the iron enriched patch to study single and combined effects of micronutrient additions on microbial food web. Low bacterial growth was recorded in the study area with community turnover times of 50 h or more during the study period. Measurements of bacterial standing stocks and production rates in the study show minor responses to the large scale iron enrichment, with increase in rates and stocks after the first enrichment and at the end of the study period after the third iron enrichment when solar radiation increased and wind mixing decreased. The average daily bacterial production rates were 31.5 and 33.7 mgCm−2 d−1 for the OUT and IN stations, respectively; thus overall there was not a significant difference between the control and the iron-enriched patch. In the bottle experiments bacterial thymidine incorporation showed responses to single iron and silicic acid enrichments and a major growth response to the combined iron and sucrose enrichments. Phytoplankton chlorophyll-a showed clear stimulation by single additions of iron and silicic acid and silicic acid enhanced the iron impact. Cobalt additions had no effect on bacteria growth and a negative effect on phytoplankton growth. Low bacterial in situ growth rates and the enrichment experiments suggest that bacteria are co-limited by iron and carbon, and that bacterial iron uptake is dependent on carbon supply by the food web. With the high iron quota (μmol Fe mol C−1) bacteria may scavenge considerable amounts of the excess iron, and thus influence the relative importance of the microbial food web as a carbon sink.