HPLC‐Based Chemotaxonomy of Florida Bay Phytoplankton: Difficulties in Coastal Environments

Abstract

This report covers high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) derived pigment based chemotaxonomy for phytoplankton studies in a turbid coastal environment. Sediment resuspension brings detritus with pheopigments and other chlorophyll (CHL) breakdown products into the water column and hampers data interpretation. Two hundred sixty six water samples from Florida Bay were analyzed from monthly collections (Sept. 2000–Aug. 2002). Comparing biomarker estimated CHLa to measured CHLa, we found a mean of 105.4% (Std. Dev.=24.7; R²=0.9547) and when data was restricted to those samples with <10% pheopigments, estimations improved to 102±16%. It is concluded that all HPLC studies on phytoplankton communities must report the percentage pheopigments.

Keywords:

• HPLC
• Pigments
• Chlorophyll
• Pheopigments
• Chemotaxonomy

Acknowledgments

These studies were funded by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), South Florida Ecosystem Restoration and Modeling Program (SFERMP) through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The financial support from NOAA/NMFS and the moral support of Dr. Larry Pugh are both greatly appreciated.

I thank the National Park Service, Everglades National Park, especially Ms. Lucy Given and Mr. Robert Zepp, for allowing access to facilities and provision of sampling permits (Permits # 2000088 and EVER‐2001‐SCI‐0078).

Dr. Kelly S. Rein of the Advanced Research Cooperation in Environmental Health (ARCH) program at Florida International University is thanked for several samples of dinoflagellates, including 3 clones of Karenia brevis, the Florida Red Tide organism.

The provision of cultures of Synechococcus elongatus, Cyclotella choctawatcheeana, and the prokaryotic “2 micron picosphere”, all isolated clones from Florida Bay, by Dr. Carmelo Tomas is gratefully acknowledged.

Dr. John Scarpa of Harbor Branch oceanographic Institute in Ft. Pierce, Florida is thanked for recurrent donations of Isochrysis galbana.

F. Hoffman‐LaRoche in Basel Switzerland is thanked for gifts of isozeaxanthin, echinenone, and canthaxanthin.

I would like to acknowledge the expert laboratory assistance of Ms. Panne Monghkonsri for performing extractions and HPLC analyses. Likewise, I thank P. Monghkonsri, A. Singh, D. W. Louda, W. Gurney, D. Snedden, and others for assistance during sampling events.

I thank the anonymous review process and editorial expertise of JLC & RT for recommendations and improvements to this manuscript.