The Library

Comparison of phosphate uptake rates by the smallest plastidic and aplastidic protists in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Tools

Hartmann, Manuela, Grob, Carolina, Scanlan, David J., Martin, Adrian P., Burkill, Peter H. and Zubkov, Mikhail V.. (2011) Comparison of phosphate uptake rates by the smallest plastidic and aplastidic protists in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol.78 (No.2). pp. 327-335. ISSN 1574-6941

Full text not available from this repository.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01160.x

Abstract

The smallest phototrophic protists (< 3 mu m) are important primary producers in oligotrophic subtropical gyres - the Earth's largest ecosystems. In order to elucidate how these protists meet their inorganic nutrient requirements, we compared the phosphate uptake rates of plastidic and aplastidic protists in the phosphate-depleted subtropical and tropical North Atlantic (4-29 degrees N) using a combination of radiotracers and flow cytometric sorting on two Atlantic Meridional Transect cruises. Plastidic protists were divided into two groups according to their size (< 2 and 2-3 mu m). Both groups of plastidic protists showed higher phosphate uptake rates per cell than the aplastidic protists. Although the phosphate uptake rates of protist cells were on average seven times (P < 0.001) higher than those of bacterioplankton, the biomass-specific phosphate uptake rates of protists were one fourth to one twentieth of an average bacterioplankton cell. The unsustainably low biomass-specific phosphate uptake by both plastidic and aplastidic protists suggests the existence of a common alternative means of phosphorus acquisition - predation on phosphorus-rich bacterioplankton cells.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

Q Science > QD Chemistry
Q Science > QR Microbiology

Divisions:

Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Phosphorus, Phosphates, Protista, Radioactive tracers, Flow cytometry, Marine phytoplankton, Oceanography -- Research -- North Atlantic Ocean

Journal or Publication Title:

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Publisher:

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

ISSN:

1574-6941

Official Date:

November 2011

Dates:

Date	Event
November 2011	Published

Volume:

Vol.78

Number:

No.2

Page Range:

pp. 327-335

Identifier:

10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01160.x

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Publication Status:

Published

Access rights to Published version:

Restricted or Subscription Access

Funder:

Natural Environment Research Council (Great Britain) (NERC), National Oceanography Centre (Great Britain) (NOC)

Grant number:

NE/E016138/1 (NERC)

References:

Adams MM, Gomez-Garcia MR, Grossman AR & Bhaya D
(2008) Phosphorus deprivation responses and phosphonate
utilization in a thermophilic Synechococcus sp. from microbial
mats. J Bacteriol 190: 8171–8184.
Casey JR, Lomas MW, Michelou VK, Dyhrman ST, Orchard ED,
Ammerman JW & Sylvan JB (2009) Phytoplankton taxonspecific
orthophosphate (Pi) and ATP utilization in the
western subtropical North Atlantic. Aquat Microb Ecol 58:
31–44.
Clark LL, Ingall ED & Benner R (1998) Marine phosphorus is
selectively remineralized. Nature 393: 426.
Cole JJ (1982) Interactions between bacteria and algae in aquatic
ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 13: 291–314.
Davey M, Tarran GA, Mills MM, Ridame C, Geider RJ & LaRoche
J (2008) Nutrient limitation of picophytoplankton
photosynthesis and growth in the tropical North Atlantic.
Limnol Oceanogr 53: 1722–1733.
Dyhrman ST, Benitez-Nelson CR, Orchard ED, Haley ST &
Pellechia PJ (2009) A microbial source of phosphonates in
oligotrophic marine systems. Nature Geosci 2: 696–699.
Grillo JF & Gibson J (1979) Regulation of phosphate
accumulation in the unicellular cyanobacterium
Synechococcus. J Bacteriol 140: 508–517.
Ho TY, Quigg A, Finkel ZV, Milligan AJ,Wyman K, Falkowski PG
& Morel FMM (2003) The elemental composition of some
marine phytoplankton. J Phycol 39: 1145–1159.
Jardillier L, Zubkov MV, Pearman J & Scanlan DJ (2010) Significant
CO2 fixation by small prymnesiophytes in the subtropical and
tropical northeast Atlantic Ocean. ISME J 4: 1180–1192.
Larsen A, Tanaka T, Zubkov MV & Thingstad TF (2008) P-affinity
measurements of specific osmotroph populations using cellsorting
flow cytometry. Limnol Oceanogr-Meth 6: 355–363.
Li WKW (1994) Primary production of prochlorophytes,
cyanobacteria, and eukaryotic ultraphytoplankton –
measurements from flow cytometric sorting. Limnol Oceanogr
39: 169–175.
Marie D, Partensky F, Jacquet S & Vaulot D (1997) Enumeration
and cell cycle analysis of natural populations of marine
picoplankton by flow cytometry using the nucleic acid stain
SYBR Green I. Appl Environ Microb 63: 186–193.
Mather RL, Reynolds SE, Wolff GA et al. (2008) Phosphorus
cycling in the North and South Atlantic Ocean subtropical
gyres. Nature Geosci 1: 439–443.
Mills MM, Ridame C, Davey M, La Roche J & Geider RJ (2004)
Iron and phosphorus co-limit nitrogen fixation in the eastern
tropical North Atlantic. Nature 429: 292–294.
Mills MM, Moore CM, Langlois R et al. (2008) Nitrogen and
phosphorus co-limitation of bacterial productivity and growth
in the oligotrophic subtropical North Atlantic. Limnol
Oceanogr 53: 824–834.
Quigg A, Finkel ZV, Irwin AJ et al. (2003) The evolutionary
inheritance of elemental stoichiometry in marine
phytoplankton. Nature 425: 291–294.
Stoecker DK, Li AS, Coats DW, Gustafson DE & Nannen MK
(1997) Mixotrophy in the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum
minimum. Mar Ecol-Prog Ser 152: 1–12.
Tyrrell T (1999) The relative influences of nitrogen and
phosphorus on oceanic primary production. Nature 400:
525–531.
Unrein F, Massana R, Alonso-Saez L & Gasol JM (2007)
Significant year-round effect of small mixotrophic flagellates
on bacterioplankton in an oligotrophic coastal system. Limnol
Oceanogr 52: 456–469.
Van Mooy BAS, Rocap G, Fredricks HF, Evans CT & Devol AH
(2006) Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand
by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments. P
Natl Acad Sci USA 103: 8607–8612.
Waterbury JB, Watson SW, Valois FW & Franks DG (1986)
Biological and ecological characterization of the marine
unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus. In: Photosynthetic
Picoplankton (Platt, T. and Li, W., Eds.), Can. Bull. Fish.
Aquat. Sci. 214: pp. 71–120.
Wu JF, Sunda W, Boyle EA & Karl DM (2000) Phosphate
depletion in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Science 289:
759–762.
Zubkov MV & Burkill PH (2006) Syringe pumped high speed
flow cytometry of oceanic phytoplankton. Cytom Part A 69A:
1010–1019.
ZubkovMV & Tarran GA (2008) High bacterivory by the smallest
phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 455:
224–226.
Zubkov MV, Sleigh MA, Burkill PH & Leakey RJG (2000)
Picoplankton community structure on the AtlanticMeridional
Transect: a comparison between seasons. Prog Oceanogr 45:
369–386.
Zubkov MV, Mary I, Woodward EMS, Warwick PE, Fuchs BM,
Scanlan DJ & Burkill PH (2007) Microbial control of
phosphate in the nutrient-depleted North Atlantic subtropical
gyre. Environ Microbiol 9: 2079–2089.
FEMS