Table 2 Metabolic rates in spring and autumn in the Atlantic subtropical gyres.

From: Both respiration and photosynthesis determine the scaling of plankton metabolism in the oligotrophic ocean

 

NCP NAST

NCP SATL

P NAST

P SATL

R NAST

R SATL

Astronomical spring (±s.e.m.)

−10.4±2.2

12.3±2.4

61.7±4.2

70.8±2.6

72.4±3.5

58.4±3.7

95% CI for the mean

−18.9 to −1.9

7.1 to 17.6

50.1 to 73.3

63.6 to 77.9

56.0 to 85.8

50.13 to 66.6

Median

−9.12

14

66.6

70.4

75.1

50.1

Range

−45.9 to 12.6

−21.0 to 42.3

20.0 to 119.0

34.7 to 103.4

33.1 to 115.0

6.68 to 107.2

n

14

37

14

37

14

37

P value

0.0001

0.19

0.079

Astronomical autumn (±s.e.m.)

−16.3±2.5

−0.73±1.5

55.7±3.2

58.2±4.5

72.0±3.5

59.2±4.6

95% CI for the mean

−22.1 to −10.6

−11.7 to 10.3

47.2 to 64.3

41.9 to 74.6

62.8 to 81.2

41.6 to 76.8

Median

−16.9

−0.3

52.9

56.3

71.7

59.5

Range

−60.5 to 20.6

−16.7 to 14.4

19.8 to 117.0

16.8 to 101.0

27.8 to 121.2

19.6 to 102.0

n

33

9

33

9

33

9

P value

0.015

0.79

0.20

  1. CI, confidence interval; NCP, net community production; NAST, North Atlantic gyre; P, photosynthesis; R, respiration; SATL, South Atlantic gyre.
  2. Mean (±s.e.), 95% confidence interval for the mean, median, range and number of observations of integrated rates of NCP, P and R (mmolO2 m−2 per day) measured in spring and autumn in the NAST and SATL provinces during AMT11–22 cruises. Numbers in bold indicate statistically significant differences (at α=0.05) between metabolic rates in the NAST and SATL. P value is the probability, assuming the null hypothesis, of the results of the Student’s t-tests performed to compare the means of P, R and NCP rates in the NAST and SATL.
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