| Abstract: | The meridional distribution of autotrophic picoplankton groups in the central north Pacific was studied during the late northern summer of 1990. Sampling was along a section at 175°N which extended from 45°N to 8°S. The section is far from coastal regions and included subarctic, central gyre, and equatorial areas. Five autotrophic picoplankton groups, autotrophic microflagellate, red-fluorescing picoplankton,Synechococcus, prochlorophyte, and orange-fluorescing picoplankton, were identified from samples taken at stations distributed along this section. These five groups showed distinctive differences in their meridional and vertical distributions. The autotrophic microflagellates and red-fluorescing picoplankton showed distributions that were similar to that of chlorophyll a, which was dominated by the <3 μm size fraction. However, the vertical distribution of these groups was different.Synechococcus was found mostly in surface waters (PAR<10%) and was particularly abundant in the Kuroshio Extension and south of the equatorial region where the nitracline was shallow (50–75 m). Prochlorophytes were abundant in the deep euphotic layer (PAR 1-0.1%) from the south of the Kuroshio Extension to the south of the equatorial area. Orange-fluorescing picoplankton, which may be one kind of cyanobacteria but is larger than typical Synechococcus, were mostly distributed in the oligotrophic surface waters of the central gyre. The carbon biomass estimates for these organisms showed that these five groups dominated in different areas. The vertical distribution of carbon biomass did not correspond to that of chlorophyll a in the central gyre and south of the equator because of the larger carbon/ chlorophyll a ratio of Synechococcus and orange-fluorescing picoplankton relative to that of the other picoplankton. |
