It's what's inside that matters: physiological adaptations of high-latitude marine microalgae to environmental change

Abstract

Marine microalgae within seawater and sea ice fuel high-latitude ecosystems and drive biogeochemical cycles through the fixation and export of carbon, uptake of nutrients, and production and release of oxygen and organic compounds. High-latitude marine environments are characterized by cold temperatures, dark winters and a strong seasonal cycle. Within this environment a number of diverse and dynamic habitats exist, particularly in association with the formation and melt of sea ice, with distinct microalgal communities that transition with the season. Algal physiology is a crucial component, both responding to the dynamic environment and in turn influencing its immediate physicochemical environment. As high-latitude oceans shift into new climate regimes the analysis of seasonal responses may provide insights into how microalgae will respond to long-term environmental change. This review discusses recent developments in our understanding of how the physiology of high-latitude marine microalgae is regulated over a polar seasonal cycle, with a focus on ice-associated (sympagic) algae. In particular, physiologies that impact larger scale processes will be explored, with an aim to improve our understanding of current and future ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.

Keywords: algae; cold temperatures; diatoms; environmental change; high-latitude; psychrophilic; sea ice; sympagic.