Rubisco in high Arctic tidewater glacier‐marine systems: A new window into phytoplankton dynamics

• Published in: Limnology and oceanography 2024-04, Vol.69 (4), p.802-817
• Main Authors: Roberts, Megan E., Bhatia, Maya P., Rowland, Elden, White, Patrick L., Waterman, Stephanie, Cavaco, Maria A., Williams, Patrick, Young, Jodi N., Spence, Jenifer S., Tremblay, Jean‐Éric, Montero‐Serrano, Jean‐Carlos, Bertrand, Erin M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0024-3590; 1939-5590
• DOI: 10.1002/lno.12525

The hundreds of tidewater glaciers found in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago have the potential to enhance delivery of nutrients and other material to the surface ocean. Despite this, their influence on marine ecosystems, specifically phytoplankton, is poorly characterized. Here we developed and applied a quantitative mass spectrometry‐based approach to measure phytoplankton ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) concentrations to examine differences in productivity in glacierized and non‐glacierized marine systems in Jones Sound, Nunavut, within Inuit Nunangat. Comparisons to chloroplast 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data suggested that these measurements detect the majority of Rubisco produced in Jones Sound. Because Rubisco catalyzes carbon fixation, we used these measurements to estimate total and group‐specific primary production potential, which were within the range of historical primary production measurements made using classical methods in this region. Our measurements also revealed that up to 2% of total protein in the water column is Rubisco, and that Rubisco concentrations are correlated with chlorophyll fluorescence, with maxima near the nitracline. Rubisco produced by diatom genera Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira were higher in marine regions influenced by glaciers, while Rubisco from Micromonas (Chlorophyta) was greater in non‐glacierized regions. This suggests that future climate scenarios may favor smaller phytoplankton groups, like Micromonas, with consequences for food webs and carbon cycling. This study broadens our understanding of how tidewater glaciers will impact phytoplankton communities, now and in a warmer future, and lays the foundation for using this mass spectrometry‐based approach to quantify phytoplankton group‐specific carbon fixation potential in other marine regions.