Effects of a dust deposition event on coastal marine microbial abundance and activity, bacterial community structure and ecosystem function

Abstract

The Mediterranean coast receives large inputs of dust with a potential fertilization effect. We evaluated the effect of a wet dust deposition event on microbial abundance and activity, community structure and metabolic balance. Dust collected during a dust storm event was added to a series of microcosms. We added a realistic concentration (0.05 g L–1) based on the phosphorus concentration contained in the dust and, in addition, we included a P amended tank to distinguish the effect of dust from that of the phosphorus in the dust. We also included a higher dust concentration tank (0.5 g L–1). Dust increased the initial water–phosphorus concentration by 0.3 µM and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration by 14 µM, and increased bacterial abundance (1.8-fold) and bacterial production (5-fold). At the end of the experiment, primary production and community respiration were stimulated by dust and by P, but the net result of the addition of low amounts of dust was an initial switch towards heterotrophy, whereas the net result of the high-dust (DH) additions and the P addition was a shift towards autotrophy. Bacterial community structure changed little between P and low dust, but these were very different from the control and the DH communities