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Nutrient and arsenic biogeochemistry of Sargassum in the western Atlantic

Author

Listed:
  • Dennis Joseph McGillicuddy

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Peter Lynn Morton

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Rachel Aileen Brewton

    (Florida Atlantic University)

  • Chuanmin Hu

    (University of South Florida)

  • Thomas Bryce Kelly

    (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

  • Andrew Robert Solow

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Brian Edward Lapointe

    (Florida Atlantic University)

Abstract

The oceanographic ecology of pelagic Sargassum, and the means by which these floating macroalgae thrive in the nutrient-poor waters of the open ocean, have been studied for decades. Beginning in 2011, the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB) emerged, with Sargassum proliferating in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean where it had not previously been abundant. Here we show that the nutritional status of Sargassum in the GASB is distinct, with higher nitrogen and phosphorus content than populations residing in its Sargasso Sea habitat. Moreover, we find that variations in arsenic content of Sargassum reflect phosphorus limitation, following a hyperbolic relationship predicted from Michaelis-Menten nutrient uptake kinetics. Although the sources of nutrients fueling the GASB are not yet clear, our results suggest that nitrogen and phosphorus content of Sargassum, together with its isotopic composition, can be used to identify those sources, whether they be atmospheric, oceanic, or riverine in origin.

Suggested Citation

  • Dennis Joseph McGillicuddy & Peter Lynn Morton & Rachel Aileen Brewton & Chuanmin Hu & Thomas Bryce Kelly & Andrew Robert Solow & Brian Edward Lapointe, 2023. "Nutrient and arsenic biogeochemistry of Sargassum in the western Atlantic," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41904-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41904-4
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    1. Victor Smetacek & Adriana Zingone, 2013. "Green and golden seaweed tides on the rise," Nature, Nature, vol. 504(7478), pages 84-88, December.
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