Synthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids by a size-fractionated marine phytoplankton community of the arctic beaufort sea

During the RV-ARAON cruise, a comparative study on the biosynthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) was conducted for the size-fractionated phytoplankton of the Beaufort Sea (Arctic). The MAAs contents in the micro-phytoplankton community (>20 μm size) is considerably higher than that observed in the nano- (20-2 μm size) and pico-phytoplankton (<2 μm size) communities. The micro-phytoplankton of the Mackenzie Shelf had a relatively higher Chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration. Considering the total phytoplankton community, the MAAs concentration as well as net production of individual MAAs (such as shinorine and palythine) were higher at the Mackenzie Shelf rather than at the sites located beyond the Beaufort Sea; precisely, the highest net production rates of shinorine and palythine were 0.211 (±0.02) ng C L−1 d−1 and 0.136 (±0.001) ng C L−1 d−1 respectively (No other MAAs were detected). The micro-phytoplankton used around 0.5% of the total carbon uptake for the synthesis of MAAs. Compared to the smaller phytoplankton community, the micro-phytoplankton utilized more of their energy for the biosynthesis of MAAs; on the other hand, nano- and pico-phytoplankton focused on cellular activity and had poor biosynthesis of MAAs. This clearly indicates the phytoplankton size-dependent variation in the biosynthesis of MAA in the natural phytoplankton community. This study revealed the environmental adaptation of the various sizes of phytoplankton community as well as their physiological response in the Arctic Beaufort Sea.