Trade-off between dimethyl sulfide and isoprene emissions from marine phytoplankton

K. G. Srikanta Dani, Francesco Loreto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Marine phytoplankton emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and isoprene that influence air quality, cloud dynamics, and planetary albedo. We show that globally (i) marine phytoplankton taxa tend to emit either DMS or isoprene, and (ii) sea-water surface concentration and emission hotspots of DMS and isoprene have opposite latitudinal gradients. We argue that a convergence of antioxidant functions between DMS and isoprene is possible, driven by potential metabolic competition for photosynthetic substrates. Linking phytoplankton emission traits to their latitudinal niches, we hypothesize that natural selection favors DMS emission in cold (polar) waters and isoprene emission in warm (tropical) oceans, and that global warming may expand the geographic range of marine isoprene-emitters. A trade-off between DMS and isoprene at metabolic, organismal, and geographic levels may have important consequences for future marine biosphere-atmosphere interactions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)361–372
Number of pages12
JournalTrends in Plant Science
Volume22
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2017
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Trade-off between dimethyl sulfide and isoprene emissions from marine phytoplankton'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this