Dataset: EN638 LV Plate Rates
Deployment: EN638

For mesocosm (large volume) incubation experiments (referred to as “LV” incubations), seawater was transferred to 20 L carboys that were rinsed three times with water from the sampling depth and then filled with seawater from a single Niskin bottle, using silicone tubing that had been acid washed then rinsed with distilled water prior to use. Four carboys were filled at each depth from bottom water, water from the depth at which oxygen showed a minimum, and deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) water, according to the CTD. Triplicate 20L carboys were amended with ca. 500 mg (exact mass was recorded for each addition) of HMW Thalassiosira; unamended single carboys were used for controls. From each carboy, water was dispensed into smaller glass containers that were cleaned and pre-rinsed three times with water from the carboy prior to dispensing. This water was used to measure the activities of peptidases, and glucosidases. A separate glass Duran bottle was filled with seawater from the carboy and sterilized in an autoclave for 20-30 minutes to serve as a killed control for microbial activity measurements. All mesocosms were incubated in the dark at near in-situ temperatures. Mesocosms were sub-sampled at the start of incubation (0 days), and then after 2 d, 7d, 11, and 16d for the following assays: bacterial production using 3H-Leucine, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nutrients, bacterial cell counts, peptidase and glucosidase activity measurements.

Two substrates, -glucose and -glucose linked to a 4-methylumbelliferyl (MUF) fluorophore, were used to measure glucosidase activities. Five substrates linked to a 7-amido-4-methyl coumarin (MCA) fluorophore, one amino acid – leucine – and four oligopeptides – the chymotrypsin substrates alanine-alanine-phenylalanine (AAF) and alanine-alanine-proline-phenylalanine (AAPF), and the trypsin substrates glutamine-alanine-arginine (QAR) and phenylalanine-serine-arginine (FSR) – were used to measure exo- and endo-acting peptidase activities, respectively. Incubations with the seven low molecular weight substrates were set up in a 96-well plate. For each substrate, triplicate wells were filled with a total volume of 200 uL seawater for experimental incubations; triplicate wells were filled with 200 uL autoclaved seawater for killed control incubations. Substrate was added at saturating concentrations. A saturation curve was determined with surface water from each station to determine saturating concentrations of substrate. The saturating concentration was identified as the lowest tested concentration of substrate at which additional substrate did not yield higher rates of hydrolysis. Fluorescence was measured over 24-48 hours incubation time with a plate reader (TECAN infiniteF200; 360 nm excitation, 460 emission), with timepoints taken every 4-6 hours.