Warming and trophic structure tightly control phytoplankton bloom amplitude, composition and succession

To better identify the responses of phytoplankton blooms to warming conditions as expected in a climate change context, an in situ mesocosm experiment was carried out in a coastal Mediterranean lagoon (Thau Lagoon, South of France) in April 2018. Our objective was to assess both the direct and indirect effects of warming on phytoplankton, particularly those mediated by top-down control. Four treatments were applied: 1) natural planktonic community with ambient water temperature (C); 2) natural planktonic community at +3°C elevated temperature (T); 3) exclusion of larger zooplankton (> 200 μm; mesozooplankton) leaving microzooplankton predominant with ambient water temperature (MicroZ); and 4) exclusion of larger zooplankton (> 200 μm; mesozooplankton) at +3°C elevated temperature (TMicroZ). Warming strongly depressed the amplitude of the phytoplankton bloom as the chlorophyll a concentration was twice lower in the T treatment. This decline under warmer conditions was most likely imputed to increase top-down control by zooplankton. However, removal of mesozooplankton resulted in an opposite trend, with a higher bloom amplitude observed under warmer conditions (MicroZ vs. TMicroZ) pointing at a strong interplay between micro- and mesozooplankton and the effect of warming for the spring phytoplankton blooms. Furthermore, both warming and mesozooplankton exclusion induced shifts in phytoplankton community composition during bloom and post-bloom periods, favoring dinoflagellates and small green algae at the expense of diatoms and prymnesiophytes. Moreover, warming altered phytoplankton succession by promoting an early bloom of small green flagellates, and a late bloom of diatoms. Our findings clearly highlighted the sensitivity of phytoplankton blooms amplitudes, community composition and succession patterns to temperature increases, as well as the key role of initial zooplankton community composition to elicit opposite response in bloom dynamics. It also points out that warmer conditions might favor dinoflagellates and small green algae, irrespective of zooplankton community composition, with potential implications for food web dynamics and energy transfer efficiency under future ocean condition.