Particulate deoxyribonucleic acid (P-DNA), particulate organic carbon (POC), and chlorophyll
a (Chl
a) were measured simultaneously in seawater in a subarctic coastal region, Funka Bay, from prebloom to post bloom periods during the course of a spring bloom. The temporal variation of P-DNA concentration was not necessarily associated with that of Chl
a or POC during this period. The concentration of P-DNA above 30 m in depth tended to increase with increasing Chl
a and/or POC concentrations accompanied by phytoplankton production during the spring bloom. On the other hand, the concentration of P-DNA above 30 m in depth during the pre-bloom period represented a relatively high value, although the concentrations of both ChI a and POC represented low values. The concentration of P-DNA during the post-bloom period also stayed high, which was comparable to that during the spring bloom, whereas the concentration of Chl
a showed a dramatic decrease. The effect on the ratios of both POC: P-DNA and Chl
a: P-DNA implied that the bulk of P-DNA above 30 m in depth during the spring bloom was occupied by “living” phytoplanktonic DNA. In contrast, the ratios of POC: PDNA and Chl
a: P-DNA during the pre-bloom and postbloom periods implied that the PDNA might be associated with inactive living phytoplankton in terms of “nonreplicating” DNA during the prebloom period and “non-living” DNA in terms of detrital DNA during the post-bloom period, respectively.
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