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High-frequency observations during Adriatic mucilage event reveal unique phytoplankton traits and diversity response

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Abstract

Mucilage aggregation is a striking phenomenon in the northern Adriatic Sea, reappearing massively in surface waters on the Istrian coast in 2024 after 20 years. Formed through polymerization of exuded sugars during microphytoplankton blooms, mucilage events are hard to capture with traditional monitoring. Here, we used real-time in situ sensors, satellite data and daily pulse-shape flow cytometry to analyze phytoplankton dynamics during this event. Mucilage formation was linked to rising temperatures and Po River-induced salinity drops. Microphytoplankton species like Cerataulina pelagica, Cylindrotheca closterium, Thalassionema spp., and Gonyaulax fragilis showed as important taxa in each different phase of the phenomenon. Aggregates consisted mainly of single cells. Mucilage periods featured low diversity and thicker, more complex cells, unlike autumn blooms which showed higher diversity, chain-forming colonies, and more pigments. Our findings highlight the key role of microphytoplankton and single cells in mucilage dynamics and the influence of environmental factors like temperature, wind and freshwater inputs on phytoplankton structure and biomass in coastal ecosystems.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) Projects: Life Strategies of Phytoplankton in the Northern Adriatic (UIP-2014-09-6563) and Molecular Life Strategies of Phytoplankton in the Northern Adriatic ADRILife (UIP-2020-02-7868). Lana Grižančić is supported by the HRZZ project DOK-2021-02-5104.The study was also supported by the H2020 program project JERICO-S3 and the Interreg Italy-Croatia projects AdriaClim, Cascade, ALIENA, Marless and BRIGANTINE from the European Union regional development funds. We thank the crew of R/V Vila Velebita and R/V Burin for help during sampling.We are grateful to Denis Škalic and Victor Stinga Perusco for their assistance with data acquisition and sensor maintenance, and to Marija Fornažar for her expert advice on flow cytometry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Marine Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Rovinj, Croatia

    Ivan Vlašiček, Daniela Marić Pfannkuchen, Mirta Smodlaka Tanković, Ana Baričević, Tjaša Kogovšek, Nataša Kužat, Mia Knjaz, Lana Grižančić, Ivan Podolšak, Ariana Turković & Martin Pfannkuchen

  2. SeaCras, Zagreb, Croatia

    Robert Šulc, Robert Kopal & Mario Špadina

  3. Algebra Bernays University, Zagreb, Croatia

    Robert Kopal

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  1. Ivan Vlašiček
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  2. Daniela Marić Pfannkuchen
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  3. Mirta Smodlaka Tanković
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  4. Ana Baričević
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  8. Lana Grižančić
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  12. Robert Kopal
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  14. Martin Pfannkuchen
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Contributions

I.V. designed the research, analysed samples and *in situ* data and discussed results. D.M.P. contributed to the research design, discussion and approved the manuscript. (M.S.T, A.B., T.K., N.K., M.K., L.G., I.P., and A.T.) contributed to the discussion and approved the manuscript. (R.Š., M.Š. and R.K.) contributed with analysis of satellite derived data and approved the manuscript. M.P. led the research team and helped in designing of the study and discussion of results.

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Correspondence to
Daniela Marić Pfannkuchen.

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Vlašiček, I., Pfannkuchen, D.M., Tanković, M.S. et al. High-frequency observations during Adriatic mucilage event reveal unique phytoplankton traits and diversity response.
Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31369-4

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