Availability of colloidal ferric oxides to coastal marine phytoplankton

Abstract

Cell growth of a coastal marine diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum (stock cultures), and two red tide marine flagellates, Heterosigma akashiwo and Gymnodinium mikimotoi (stock cultures), in the presence of soluble chelated Fe(III)-EDTA (1:2) and of four different phases of ferric oxide colloids were experimentally measured in culture experiments at 20°C under 3000 lux fluorescent light. Soluble Fe(III)-EDTA induced the maximal growth rates and cell yields. The short-term uptake rate of iron by H. akashiwo in Fe(III)-EDTA medium was about eight times faster than that in solid amorphous hydrous ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃·xH₂O) medium. In culture experiments supplied with four different ferric oxide forms, the orders of cell yields are amorphous hydrous ferric oxide>γ-FeOOH (lepidocrocite)>Fe₅O₇(OH)·4H₂O (hydrated ferric oxyhydroxide polymer >α-FeOOH (goethite). The specific growth rates (μ) at logarithmic growth phase in Fe(III)-EDTA, amorphous hydrous ferric oxide and γ-FeOOH media were significantly greater than those in Fe₅O₇ (OH)·4H₂O and α-FeOOH media. The thermodynamically stable forms such as Fe₅O₇(OH)·4H₂O and α-FeOOH supported a little or no phytoplankton growth. The iron solublities and/or proton-promoted iron dissolution rates of these colloidal ferric oxides in seawater at 20°C were determined by simple filtration techniques involving γ-activity measurements of ⁵⁹Fe. The orders of solubilities and estimated dissolution rate constants of these ferric oxides in seawater were consistent with that of cell yields in the culture experiments. These results suggest that the availability of colloidal iron to provide a source of iron for phytoplankton is related to the thermodynamic stability and kinetic lability of the colloidal ferric oxide phases, which probably control the uptake rate of iron by phytoplankton.