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A field investigation was carried out over two seasonal periods on an oligotrophic coastal British Columbia lake to determine the role of sinking in the formation of the chlorophyll maximum as well as some aspects of phytoplankton seasonality. Sinking rates of two diatoms were measured and found to be highest in the epilimnion and lowest at the depth of the chlorophyll maximum. Light affected sinking rate as well as the position of the chlorophyll maximum. The chlorophyll maximum formed at 10-12 m following the onset of seasonal thermal stratification and descended to ca. 22 m for the summer. A major factor in the formation of the chlorophyll maximum is the decrease of phytoplankton sinking rate at depth. Rhizosolenia eriensis is one of the first phytoplankters to bloom in the spring. Small flagellates (3-15 um) and occasionally Dinobryon sp. were also important numerically. In the summer Cyclotella spp. displaced R. eriensis as the dominant diatom in the epilimnion. The relative timing of seasonal maxima of blooms of various species remained similar during the two years investigated. Lake fertilization affected the phytoplankton standing stock. R. eriensis did not greatly benefit from fertilization since it sank out of the epilimnion and became a major constituent of the chlorophyll maximum before fertilization. Because of its large size and low C : cell volume ratio due to a large vacuole, R. eriensis is probably not a good food source for zooplankton. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Ph.D. (Botany) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

In agreement with global patterns of climate change and increasing temperatures in the tropical oceans, the Northern Red Sea (NRS) has been warming over the last few decades. Using 18 years of remotely-sensed chlorophyll-a data (Chl-a, an index of phytoplankton biomass), we investigate the potential impacts of climate warming on phytoplankton abundance and phenology in the Northern Red Sea by exploring the mechanistic links with the regional physical environment. The results of the analysis reveal that, in accordance with other tropical ecosystems, phytoplankton biomass in the NRS will decrease in response to warmer climate scenarios. This is attributed to lower heat fluxes (heat loss to the atmosphere) during the bloom period, and enhanced vertical stratification, which prevents vertical mixing of nutrients into the euphotic layer. In addition, we show that during warmer conditions (when heat fluxes are weakened), the winter bloom initiates significantly later (by up to 10 weeks) and its duration is considerably reduced. The biological implications of alterations to phytoplankton phenology may include increased larval mortality of pelagic species, reduced recruitment, fisheries impacts and changes to community structure.

Phytoplankton is at the basis of the marine food chain and therefore play a fundamental role in the ocean ecosystem. However, the large-scale phytoplankton dynamics of the Red Sea are not well understood yet, mainly due to the lack of historical in situ measurements. As a result, our knowledge in this area relies mostly on remotely-sensed observations and large-scale numerical marine ecosystem models. Models are very useful to identify the mechanisms driving the variations in chlorophyll concentration and have practical applications for fisheries operation and harmful algae blooms monitoring. Modelling approaches can be divided between physics- driven (dynamical) approaches, and data-driven (statistical) approaches. Dynamical models are based on a set of differential equations representing the transfer of energy and matter between different subsets of the biota, whereas statistical models identify relationships between variables based on statistical relations within the available data. The goal of this thesis is to develop, implement and test novel dynamical and statistical modelling approaches for studying and forecasting the variability of chlorophyll concentration in the Red Sea. These new models are evaluated in term of their ability to efficiently forecast and explain the regional chlorophyll variability. We also propose innovative synergistic strategies to combine data- and physics-driven approaches to further enhance chlorophyll forecasting capabilities and efficiency.

A number of montane herbs in northern Utah typically form flower buds beneath the snow cover and flower either through it or immediately after its recession. Two of these species, one naturally occurring , Claytonia lanceolata, and one cultivated bulb, Galanthus nivalis, were investigated for their response to this stress environment. Snow depth patterns, chlorophyll content of tissues, and plants grown in light-tight boxes, suggest that light passing through the snow to reach plants growing underneath is not critically involved in the timing of their developmental cycles or in their ability to endure this low temperature environment. Ability to endure stress seems to be closely related in a number of ways to activity at the plant membranes. Plants were protected from low temperature damage by application of cytokinin or calcium, both of which probably acted at the membrane. Potassium calcium antagonisms were reflected in the internal distribution of the ions under natural stress conditions; and plants that differentiated at the meristem while growing through the snow accumulated calcium at the tip during this growth .

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Two types of water-soluble complexes of chlorophyll a with organic polymers have been investigated: chlorophyll a coordinately bonded to poly 4-vinylpyridine and a chlorophyll derivative, Mg-chlorin e_6 phytyl methyl ester, covalently bonded to GANTREZ AN (poly (methyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride) ). The first complex was observed upon dissolving chlorophyll a and poly 4-vinylpyridine in aqueous ethanol solutions. The Mg-chlorin e_6 diester-GANTREZ AN complex (chlorophyll a/polymer) was made by aminolysing the chlorophyll ring V with 1, 6-hexanediamine to give an intermediate product, Mg-chlorin e_6 -6-N-(6' -aminohexyl) carboxamide, phytyl methyl ester. This was attached to GANTREZ AN by linkage of the 6'-amine to a polymer anhydride unit. The remaining anhydride units were treated with ammonium hydroxide to give the half amide salt, poly (methyl vinyl ether/maleamic acid, ammonium salt). The chlorophyll a/polymer has major absorption maxima at 641 nm and 415 nm.