Growth, volume, cellular composition, and net oxygen production and respiration from five polar cultured plankton organisms collected during the BIOPOLE project

This dataset contains measurements from controlled laboratory experiments carried out in 2023 as part of the Biogeochemical processes and ecosystem function in changing polar systems and their global impacts (BIOPOLE) project to assess the interactive effects of temperature (3 °C and 6 °C) and nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) nutrient ratios (16:1 and 10:1) on the growth, biovolume, cellular chlorophyll-a, cellular stoichiometry (Particulate Organic Carbon (POC), Particulate Organic Nitrogen (PON), Particulate Organic Phosphorus (POP)), net oxygen production, and oxygen respiration in five polar phytoplankton isolates under exponential and stationary growth conditions. Experiments were conducted in growth chambers. The five polar strains were: Arctic Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii (CCAP 1085/31) was obtained from the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP, Oban - UK), Antarctic Fragiliariopsis nana K0637 and Antarctic Fragiliariopsis cylindrus (CCMP1102) were provided by Thomas Mock (University of East Anglia - UK), Arctic Isochrysis galbana (RCC5353) and Arctic Rhodomonas sp. (RCC5322) from Roscoff Culture Collection (RCC, Roscoff-France). Measurements include specific growth rate, biovolume, cellular chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen, particulate organic phosphorus, net oxygen production, and dark respiration, supported by cell abundance and incubation metadata. The dataset provides experimental evidence to help understand how rapidly warming polar regions, where temperatures are rising 2 to 5 times faster than the global average, may alter phytoplankton physiology and ecosystem functioning.