Another great year for the Chelsea FastOcean FRRf in the field! Over the last year, Chelsea Technologies has seen a number of publications appear regarding the use of the FastOcean Fast Repetition Rate fluorometer (FRRf) in the field. The FRRf is a great tool for measuring primary productivity and assessing the health of phytoplankton communities. The published papers (see below) demonstrate a wide range of uses for the instrument. These include investigating phytoplankton physiology in the Southern Ocean with regard to iron availability, comparing the effect of ocean acidification and irradiance on photophysiology in different phytoplankton groups and investigating the effect of silver nanoparticle toxicity in diatoms.
Phytoplankton photosynthetic physiology can now be investigated through single turnover active fluorometry (STAF) approaches, which carries the unique potential to autonomously collect data at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Chelsea Technologies’ LabSTAF is a new generation fluorometer that uses single turnover active fluorometry to measure very low levels of photosynthesis, ideal for oligotrophic zonesOne paper has been dedicated to comparing methods of primary production monitoring and highlights the relative usefulness of FRRf with regards to spatial resolution and automation (Kromkamp et al. 2017).
These papers highlight the benefits of using FastOcean as a non-invasive method for measuring in situ primary production at a high spatial resolution and the instrument’s continued relevance in understanding global phytoplankton communities and their response to a changing environment.
Blanco-Ameijeiras, S. Cosio, C. Hassler, C.S. Department for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences. Long-Term Acclimation to Iron Limitation Reveals New Insights in Metabolism Regulation of Synechecoccus sp. PCC7002. Frontiers in Marine Science – 2017. 4:247:1-13. Link
Deng, Y. Hu, Z. Shang, L. Peng, Q. Tang, Y.Z. Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology. Transcriptomic Analyses of Scrippsiella trochoiea Reveals Processes Regulating Encystment and Dormancy in the Life Cycle of a Dinoflagellate, with a Particular Attention to the Role of Abscisic Acid. Frontiers in Microbiology – 2017. 8:2450:1-19. Link
Fujise, L. Nitschke, M.R. Frommlet, J.C. Serodio, J. Woodcock, S. Ralph, P.J. Suggett, D.J. Cell Cycle Dynamics of Cultured Coral Endosymbiotic Microalgae (Symbiodinium) Across Different Types (Species) Under Alternate Light and Temperature Conditions. J. Eukaryot. Microbiol. – 2018. Accepted author manuscript. Link
Goyen, S. Pernice, M. Szabo, M. Warner, M.E. Ralph, P.J. Suggett, D.J. A molecular physiology basis for functional diversity of hydrogen peroxide production amongst Symbiodinium spp. (Dinophyceae). Marine Biology – 2017. 164:46:3073-3075. Link
Kromkamp, J. Capuzzo, E. & Philippart, C.J.M. NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research. Measuring phytoplankton primary production: review of existing methodologies and suggestions for a common approach. EcApRHA Deliverable – 2017. Download
Lodeiro, P. Browning, T.J. Achterberg, E.P. Guillou, A. El-Shawawi, M.S. Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre. Mechanisms of silver nanoparticle toxicity to the coastal marine diatom Chaetoceros curvisetus. Nature Scientific Reports – 2017. 7:10777:1-10. Link
Ryan-Keogh, T.J. Thomalla, S.J. Mtshali, T.N. Little, H. Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observatory, Natural Resources and Environment. Modelled estimates of spatial variability of iron stress in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Biogeosciences – 2017. 14:3883-3897. Link
Trimborn, S. Thoms, S. Brenneis, T. Heiden, J.P. Beszteri, S. Bischof, K. Department of Biogeosciences, Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Two Southern Ocean diatoms are more sensitive to ocean acidification and changes in irradiance than the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica. Physiologia Plantarum – 2017. 160:155-170. Link
Noriko Takamura, Megumi Nakagawa, “Photosynthesis and primary production in Lake Kasumigaura (Japan) monitored monthly since 1981” (Ecological Research). Download pdf.