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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.08.14.670423

Phytoplankton community composition in the oligotrophic Argo Basin of the eastern Indian Ocean

Selph, K. E.·Lampe, R.·Yingling, N.·Bhabu, R.·Kranz, S. A.·Allen, A. E.·Landry, M. R.
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Abstract

Phytoplankton community composition during austral summer 2022 in the Argo Abyssal Plain (Argo Basin), a 5000-m deep area northwest of the Australian continent in the eastern Indian Ocean, is described in detail, including phytoplankton abundance, biomass, size structure, taxonomic identifications through DNA and pigment analyses, as well as the percent of functional mixotrophs. The region was characterized by warm (up to 30.5{degrees}C), stratified, oligotrophic (nitrogen-limited) waters, with integrated euphotic zone (EZ) chlorophyll a (CHLa) of 13 mg m-2. The EZ mean CHLa was low in the upper layer (0.085 {micro}g L-1) and 0.32 {micro}g L-1 at the pronounced deep CHLa maxima. EZ-integrated phytoplankton carbon averaged 1229 mg C m-2. Prochlorococcus was the dominant taxon throughout the EZ, but the lower EZ had [~]4-times more eukaryotic carbon biomass than the upper EZ, along with a distinct community. In the upper EZ, prymnesiophytes, dinoflagellates and prasinophyte taxa without prasinoxanthin had the highest contributions to monovinyl chlorophyll a (MV-CHLa). In the lower EZ the community was more diverse, with prymnesiophytes, dinoflagellates, prasinophyte taxa with prasinoxanthin, pelagophytes, and cryptophytes all comprising significant contributions to MV-CHLa. Diatoms were a minor part of the community. In the upper EZ, a higher percent of the community showed mixotrophy (35-84%) relative to the lower EZ (30-51%). Although a low abundance, nitrogen-fixing organisms (symbionts of diatoms and cyanobacteria taxa) were ubiquitous. Overall, the community was similar to that found at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series site and the central Gulf of Mexico.

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Selph, K. E., Lampe, R., Yingling, N., Bhabu, R., Kranz, S. A., Allen, A. E., Landry, M. R.. 2025-08-15. Phytoplankton community composition in the oligotrophic Argo Basin of the eastern Indian Ocean. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.14.670423

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