Q-PCR counts of Synechococcus clades from R/V Knorr, R/V Kilo Moana, R/V Seward Johnson KN192-05, KM0701, SJ0609 in the S. Atlantic subtropical gyre and Benguela upwelling region from 2006-2007 (Fe_Synechococcus project)

<p>Synechococcus is one of the most abundant phytoplankton on earth and contributes significantly to marine primary production, thus an understanding of the distribution and diversity of this genus is important.&nbsp; This quantitative PCR enumeration of nine marine Synechococcus clades found in multiple oceanic regimes is the most comprehensive study to date.&nbsp; This work builds on the research of Zwirglmaier et al (2007 and 2008) and Tai and Palenik (2010), confirming patterns seen previously and extending observations into new areas, but it also provides new information on previously unstudied clades, the environmental niches of different clades, and defining the dominant oligotrophic clade.</p>

聚球藻属（Synechococcus）是地球上丰度最高的浮游植物类群之一，对海洋初级生产力贡献显著，因此解析该属的分布与多样性具有重要意义。本研究针对多种海洋生境中发现的9个海洋聚球藻进化枝开展定量PCR（quantitative PCR）计数分析，是迄今为止最为全面的相关研究。该项工作基于Zwirglmaier等人（2007年与2008年）以及Tai与Palenik（2010年）的研究成果，不仅验证了此前已观测到的分布模式并将观测范围拓展至新海域，还针对此前未被研究的进化枝、不同进化枝的生态位提供了全新数据，并明确了贫营养海域的优势进化枝。