The West Kallaallit Nunaat (Greenland) coast, characterized by a variety of fjords, bays, and channels influenced by glacier melting and Atlantic and Arctic waters, is one of the most affected ecosystems by climate change. Here, we combine oceanography, optics, microscopy, high throughput sequencing, microalgal strain establishments, and state-of-the-art analytical methods to fully characterize the diversity, community composition, and toxin repertoire of the eukaryotic plankton members of the coast of the West Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). Results indicate that the West Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) coast is a complex and oceanographically challenging system, where the superimposition of water masses of different origins, the penetration of light and its repercussions, generate mainly vertical, rather than horizontal heterogeneity in nutrient concentration and plankton biomass. Nevertheless, our molecular data reveal a strong homogeneity and a high diversity in the plankton community along the Greenland coast. We confirmed the presence of five phycotoxin groups: domoic acid and paralytic shellfish toxins were most abundant along the transect from Qeqertarsuup Tunua (Disko Bay) to the northern Baffin Bay, while spirolides, yessotoxins and pectenotoxins were predominant in Nuup Kangerlua (GodthaabFjord) and Qeqertarsuup Tunua (Disko Bay). Concentrations of these phycotoxins correlate differently to temperature, salinity and nutrients, reflecting the ecological differences of their producers. Patterns of paralytic shellfish and spirolide toxins suggest the presence of genetically distinct populations of Alexandrium along the Western Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). Phytoplankton strains isolated during this oceanographic campaign resemble, in most cases, the toxin profiles of the respective field stations. Overall, this work shows the diversity and community composition of the plankton at the Western Kalaallit Nunaat coast and reveals a distinct spatial distribution of phycotoxins, with certain toxin groups restricted to specific areas.

中文翻译：

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西 Kalaallit Nunaat（格陵兰岛）海岸沿线真核生物浮游生物和藻毒素的多样性


西卡拉利特努纳特（格陵兰岛）海岸的特点是受冰川融化以及大西洋和北极水域影响的各种峡湾、海湾和通道，是受气候变化影响最严重的生态系统之一。在这里，我们结合了海洋学、光学、显微镜、高通量测序、微藻菌株建立和最先进的分析方法，以充分表征西 Kalaallit Nunaat（格陵兰岛）海岸真核浮游生物成员的多样性、群落组成和毒素库。结果表明，西卡拉利特努纳特（格陵兰岛）海岸是一个复杂且在海洋学上具有挑战性的系统，不同来源的水团叠加、光的穿透及其影响，主要产生营养物浓度和浮游生物生物量的垂直异质性，而不是水平异质性。尽管如此，我们的分子数据显示格陵兰岛沿岸浮游生物群落具有很强的同质性和高度多样性。我们确认了五个藻类毒素的存在：软骨藻酸和麻痹性贝类毒素在从 Qeqertarsuup Tunua（迪斯科湾）到巴芬湾北部的横断面上最为丰富，而螺旋藻、yessotoxins 和 pectenotoxins 在 Nuup Kangerlua（GodthaabFjord）和 Qeqertarsuup Tunua（Disko 湾）占主导地位。这些藻类毒素的浓度与温度、盐度和营养物质的相关性不同，反映了其生产者的生态差异。麻痹性贝类和螺虫毒素的模式表明，沿着 Western Kalaallit Nunaat（格陵兰岛）存在遗传上不同的亚历山大种群。 在大多数情况下，在这次海洋学活动中分离出的浮游植物菌株类似于各个野外站的毒素概况。总体而言，这项工作显示了 Western Kalaallit Nunaat 海岸浮游生物的多样性和群落组成，并揭示了藻类毒素的独特空间分布，某些毒素组仅限于特定区域。