Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Nutrient recycling facilitates long-term stability of marine microbial phototroph–heterotroph interactions

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Christie-Oleza, Joseph Alexander, Sousoni, Despoina, Lloyd, Matthew, Armengaud, Jean and Scanlan, David J. (2017) Nutrient recycling facilitates long-term stability of marine microbial phototroph–heterotroph interactions. Nature microbiology, 2 . 17100. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.100

[img]
Preview
PDF
WRAP-nutrient-recycling-facilitates-long-term-stability-Christie-Oleza-2017.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer.

Download (2981Kb) | Preview
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.100

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

Biological interactions underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems, be it via competition, predation, mutualism or symbiosis processes. Microbial phototroph–heterotroph interactions propel the engine that results in the biogeochemical cycling of individual elements, and they are critical for understanding and modelling global ocean processes. Unfortunately, studies thus far have focused on exponentially growing cultures in nutrient-rich media, meaning knowledge of such interactions under in situ conditions is rudimentary at best. Here, we have performed long-term phototroph–heterotroph co-culture experiments under nutrient-amended and natural seawater conditions, and show that it is not the concentration of nutrients but rather their circulation that maintains a stable interaction and a dynamic system. Using the Synechococcus–Roseobacter interaction as a model phototroph–heterotroph case study, we show that although Synechococcus is highly specialized for carrying out photosynthesis and carbon fixation, it relies on the heterotroph to remineralize the inevitably leaked organic matter, making nutrients circulate in a mutualistic system. In this sense we challenge the general belief that marine phototrophs and heterotrophs compete for the same scarce nutrients and niche space, and instead suggest that these organisms more probably benefit from each other because of their different levels of specialization and complementarity within long-term stable-state systems.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history
Q Science > QR Microbiology
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Heterotrophic bacteria, Photosynthetic bacteria, Marine ecology
Journal or Publication Title: Nature microbiology
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
ISSN: 2058-5276
Official Date: 26 June 2017
Dates:
DateEvent
26 June 2017Published
19 May 2017Accepted
Volume: 2
Article Number: 17100
DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.100
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council (Great Britain) (NERC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Great Britain) (BBSRC), France. Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
Grant number: NE/K009044/1, NE/L002493/1 (NERC), BB/M017982/1 (BBSRC)
Adapted As:

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us