Abstract
The vertical distribution of phaeopigments in the ocean is traditionally interpreted as the result of the balance between two processes: (1) Grazing by herbivores (= production) and (2) photooxidation by excess of light (= degradation). If this interpretation is still correct for coastal and surface waters (e.g. spring bloom of phytoplankton and upwelled waters) there is today some evidence that the permanent (or seasonal) deep phaeopigment maximum layer in the bottom of the stratified euphotic zone (tropical and subtropical oceans) is largely overestimated. The artifact would be due to the presence of chlorophyll b which interferes with phaeopigments in the widely and routinely used acid fluorometric method for determination of Chla . The high concentration of Chlb relative to Chla at depth (and only at depth) suggests the existence, and probably the dominance, of shade adapted green algae (eukaryotes) in the deep chlorophyll maximum layer of the stratified euphotic zones. Recent direct observations and counting of cells support this hypothesis. The example in this paper shows that although they are irreplaceable, universal and simple techniques must be used with due considerations of their properties and limits when they are applied in structures where the conditions are expected to be very different from those where the method has been developed.
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Herbland, A. (1988). The Deep Phaeopigments Maximum in the Ocean: Reality or Illusion?. In: Rothschild, B.J. (eds) Toward a Theory on Biological-Physical Interactions in the World Ocean. NATO ASI Series, vol 239. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3023-0_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3023-0_8
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