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Gronniger JL, Gray PC, Niebergall AK, Johnson ZI, Hunt DE. A Gulf Stream frontal eddy harbors a distinct microbiome compared to adjacent waters. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293334. [PMID: 37943816 PMCID: PMC10635494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesoscale oceanographic features, including eddies, have the potential to alter productivity and other biogeochemical rates in the ocean. Here, we examine the microbiome of a cyclonic, Gulf Stream frontal eddy, with a distinct origin and environmental parameters compared to surrounding waters, in order to better understand the processes dominating microbial community assembly in the dynamic coastal ocean. Our microbiome-based approach identified the eddy as distinct from the surround Gulf Stream waters. The eddy-associated microbial community occupied a larger area than identified by temperature and salinity alone, increasing the predicted extent of eddy-associated biogeochemical processes. While the eddy formed on the continental shelf, after two weeks both environmental parameters and microbiome composition of the eddy were most similar to the Gulf Stream, suggesting the effect of environmental filtering on community assembly or physical mixing with adjacent Gulf Stream waters. In spite of the potential for eddy-driven upwelling to introduce nutrients and stimulate primary production, eddy surface waters exhibit lower chlorophyll a along with a distinct and less even microbial community, compared to the Gulf Stream. At the population level, the eddy microbiome exhibited differences among the cyanobacteria (e.g. lower Trichodesmium and higher Prochlorococcus) and in the heterotrophic alpha Proteobacteria (e.g. lower relative abundances of specific SAR11 phylotypes) versus the Gulf Stream. However, better delineation of the relative roles of processes driving eddy community assembly will likely require following the eddy and surrounding waters since inception. Additionally, sampling throughout the water column could better clarify the contribution of these mesoscale features to primary production and carbon export in the oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick C. Gray
- Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States of America
| | | | - Zackary I. Johnson
- Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States of America
- Biology and Civil & Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Dana E. Hunt
- Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States of America
- Biology and Civil & Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Milke F, Wagner-Doebler I, Wienhausen G, Simon M. Selection, drift and community interactions shape microbial biogeographic patterns in the Pacific Ocean. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2653-2665. [PMID: 36115923 PMCID: PMC9666467 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01318-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Despite accumulating data on microbial biogeographic patterns in terrestrial and aquatic environments, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how these patterns establish, in particular in ocean basins. Here we show the relative significance of the ecological mechanisms selection, dispersal and drift for shaping the composition of microbial communities in the Pacific Ocean over a transect of 12,400 km between subantarctic and subarctic regions. In the epipelagic, homogeneous selection contributes 50-60% and drift least to the three mechanism for the assembly of prokaryotic communities whereas in the upper mesopelagic, drift is relatively most important for the particle-associated subcommunities. Temperature is important for the relative significance of homogeneous selection and dispersal limitation for community assembly. The relative significance of both mechanisms was inverted with increasing temperature difference along the transect. For eukaryotes >8 µm, homogeneous selection is also the most important mechanisms at two epipelagic depths whereas at all other depths drift is predominant. As species interactions are essential for structuring microbial communities we further analyzed co-occurrence-based community metrics to assess biogeographic patterns over the transect. These interaction-adjusted indices explained much better variations in microbial community composition as a function of abiotic and biotic variables than compositional or phylogenetic distance measures like Bray-Curtis or UniFrac. Our analyses are important to better understand assembly processes of microbial communities in the upper layers of the largest ocean and how they adapt to effectively perform in global biogeochemical processes. Similar principles presumably act upon microbial community assembly in other ocean basins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Milke
- grid.5560.60000 0001 1009 3608Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Carl von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Irene Wagner-Doebler
- grid.6738.a0000 0001 1090 0254Institute of Microbiology, Technical University of Braunschweig, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Gerrit Wienhausen
- grid.5560.60000 0001 1009 3608Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Carl von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Meinhard Simon
- grid.5560.60000 0001 1009 3608Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Carl von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany ,grid.511218.eHelmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB), Ammerländer Heerstraße 231, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
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3
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Fernandez E, Seymour JR, Petrou K. Phytoplankton Sources and Sinks of Dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) in Temperate Coastal Waters of Australia. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081539. [PMID: 36013957 PMCID: PMC9414068 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecologically important organic sulfur compound, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), is ubiquitous in marine environments. Produced by some species of phytoplankton and bacteria, it plays a key role in cellular responses to environmental change. Recently, uptake of DMSP by non-DMSP-producing phytoplankton species has been demonstrated, highlighting knowledge gaps concerning DMSP distribution through the marine microbial food web. In this study, we traced the uptake and distribution of DMSP through a natural marine microbial community collected from off the eastern coastline Australia. We found a diverse phytoplankton community representing six major taxonomic groups and conducted DMSP-enrichment experiments both on the whole community, and the community separated into large (≥8.0 µm), medium (3.0−8.0 µm), and small (0.2−3.0 µm) size fractions. Our results revealed active uptake of DMSP in all three size fractions of the community, with the largest fraction (>8 µm) forming the major DMSP sink, where enrichment resulted in an increase of DMSPp by 144%. We observed evidence for DMSP catabolism in all size fractions with DMSP enrichment, highlighting loss from the system via MeSH or DMS production. Based on taxonomic diversity, we postulate the sources of DMSP were the dinoflagellates, Phaeocystis sp., and Trichodesmium sp., which were present in a relatively high abundance, and the sinks for DMSP were the diatoms and picoeucaryotes in this temperate community. These findings corroborate the role of hitherto disregarded phytoplankton taxa as potentially important players in the cycling of DMSP in coastal waters of Australia and emphasize the need to better understand the fate of accumulated DMSP and its significance in cellular metabolism of non-DMSP producers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Fernandez
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia;
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia;
| | - Justin R. Seymour
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia;
| | - Katherina Petrou
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia;
- Correspondence:
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Alegria Zufia J, Farnelid H, Legrand C. Seasonality of Coastal Picophytoplankton Growth, Nutrient Limitation, and Biomass Contribution. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:786590. [PMID: 34938282 PMCID: PMC8685431 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.786590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Picophytoplankton in the Baltic Sea includes the simplest unicellular cyanoprokaryotes (Synechococcus/Cyanobium) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE). Picophytoplankton are thought to be a key component of the phytoplankton community, but their seasonal dynamics and relationships with nutrients and temperature are largely unknown. We monitored pico- and larger phytoplankton at a coastal site in Kalmar Sound (K-Station) weekly during 2018. Among the cyanoprokaryotes, phycoerythrin-rich picocyanobacteria (PE-rich) dominated in spring and summer while phycocyanin-rich picocyanobacteria (PC-rich) dominated during autumn. PE-rich and PC-rich abundances peaked during summer (1.1 × 105 and 2.0 × 105 cells mL–1) while PPE reached highest abundances in spring (1.1 × 105 cells mL–1). PPE was the main contributor to the total phytoplankton biomass (up to 73%). To assess nutrient limitation, bioassays with combinations of nitrogen (NO3 or NH4) and phosphorus additions were performed. PE-rich and PC-rich growth was mainly limited by nitrogen, with a preference for NH4 at >15°C. The three groups had distinct seasonal dynamics and different temperature ranges: 10°C and 17–19°C for PE-rich, 13–16°C for PC-rich and 11–15°C for PPE. We conclude that picophytoplankton contribute significantly to the carbon cycle in the coastal Baltic Sea and underscore the importance of investigating populations to assess the consequences of the combination of high temperature and NH4 in a future climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Alegria Zufia
- Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Applications Laboratory (MPEA), Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS), Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Hanna Farnelid
- Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Applications Laboratory (MPEA), Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS), Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Catherine Legrand
- Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Applications Laboratory (MPEA), Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS), Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.,School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden
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Kelchner H, Reeve-Arnold KE, Schreiner KM, Bargu S, Roques KG, Errera RM. Domoic Acid and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Connected to Coastal Upwelling along Coastal Inhambane Province, Mozambique: A New Area of Concern. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:903. [PMID: 34941740 PMCID: PMC8704230 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13120903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing globally in frequency, persistence, and geographic extent, posing a threat to ecosystem and human health. To date, no occurrences of marine phycotoxins have been recorded in Mozambique, which may be due to absence of a monitoring program and general awareness of potential threats. This study is the first documentation of neurotoxin, domoic acid (DA), produced by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia along the east coast of Africa. Coastal Inhambane Province is a biodiversity hotspot where year-round Rhincodon typus (whale shark) sightings are among the highest globally and support an emerging ecotourism industry. Links between primary productivity and biodiversity in this area have not previously been considered or reported. During a pilot study, from January 2017 to April 2018, DA was identified year-round, peaking during Austral winter. During an intense study between May and August 2018, our research focused on identifying environmental factors influencing coastal productivity and DA concentration. Phytoplankton assemblage was diatom-dominated, with high abundances of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Data suggest the system was influenced by nutrient pulses resulting from coastal upwelling. Continued and comprehensive monitoring along southern Mozambique would provide critical information to assess ecosystem and human health threats from marine toxins under challenges posed by global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Kelchner
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
- Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - Katie E. Reeve-Arnold
- All Out Africa Marine Research Centre, Praia do Tofo, Inhambane 1300, Mozambique; (K.E.R.-A.); (K.G.R.)
| | - Kathryn M. Schreiner
- Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MI 55812, USA;
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
| | - Sibel Bargu
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | - Kim G. Roques
- All Out Africa Marine Research Centre, Praia do Tofo, Inhambane 1300, Mozambique; (K.E.R.-A.); (K.G.R.)
| | - Reagan M. Errera
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
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Messer LF, Ostrowski M, Doblin MA, Petrou K, Baird ME, Ingleton T, Bissett A, Van de Kamp J, Nelson T, Paulsen I, Bodrossy L, Fuhrman JA, Seymour JR, Brown MV. Microbial tropicalization driven by a strengthening western ocean boundary current. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5613-5629. [PMID: 32715608 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Western boundary currents (WBCs) redistribute heat and oligotrophic seawater from the tropics to temperate latitudes, with several displaying substantial climate change-driven intensification over the last century. Strengthening WBCs have been implicated in the poleward range expansion of marine macroflora and fauna, however, the impacts on the structure and function of temperate microbial communities are largely unknown. Here we show that the major subtropical WBC of the South Pacific Ocean, the East Australian Current (EAC), transports microbial assemblages that maintain tropical and oligotrophic (k-strategist) signatures, to seasonally displace more copiotrophic (r-strategist) temperate microbial populations within temperate latitudes of the Tasman Sea. We identified specific characteristics of EAC microbial assemblages compared with non-EAC assemblages, including strain transitions within the SAR11 clade, enrichment of Prochlorococcus, predicted smaller genome sizes and shifts in the importance of several functional genes, including those associated with cyanobacterial photosynthesis, secondary metabolism and fatty acid and lipid transport. At a temperate time-series site in the Tasman Sea, we observed significant reductions in standing stocks of total carbon and chlorophyll a, and a shift towards smaller phytoplankton and carnivorous copepods, associated with the seasonal impact of the EAC microbial assemblage. In light of the substantial shifts in microbial assemblage structure and function associated with the EAC, we conclude that climate-driven expansions of WBCs will expand the range of tropical oligotrophic microbes, and potentially profoundly impact the trophic status of temperate waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren F Messer
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Martin Ostrowski
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Martina A Doblin
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherina Petrou
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark E Baird
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Tas., Australia
| | | | | | | | - Tiffanie Nelson
- Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Deakin University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Ian Paulsen
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Jed A Fuhrman
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Justin R Seymour
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark V Brown
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Australia, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
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Turk-Kubo KA, Farnelid HM, Shilova IN, Henke B, Zehr JP. Distinct ecological niches of marine symbiotic N 2 -fixing cyanobacterium Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa sublineages. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2017; 53:451-461. [PMID: 27992651 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A recently described symbiosis between the metabolically streamlined nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium UCYN-A and a single-celled eukaryote prymnesiophyte alga is widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical marine waters, and is thought to contribute significantly to nitrogen fixation in these regions. Several UCYN-A sublineages have been defined based on UCYN-A nitrogenase (nifH) sequences. Due to the low abundances of UCYN-A in the global oceans, currently existing molecular techniques are limited for detecting and quantifying these organisms. A targeted approach is needed to adequately characterize the diversity of this important marine cyanobacterium, and to advance understanding of its ecological importance. We present findings on the distribution of UCYN-A sublineages based on high throughput sequencing of UCYN-A nifH PCR amplicons from 78 samples distributed throughout many major oceanic provinces. These UCYN-A nifH fragments were used to define oligotypes, alternative taxonomic units defined by nucleotide positions with high variability. The data set was dominated by a single oligotype associated with the UCYN-A1 sublineage, consistent with previous observations of relatively high abundances in tropical and subtropical regions. However, this analysis also revealed for the first time the widespread distribution of the UCYN-A3 sublineage in oligotrophic waters. Furthermore, distinct assemblages of UCYN-A oligotypes were found in oligotrophic and coastally influenced waters. This unique data set provides a framework for determining the environmental controls on UCYN-A distributions and the ecological importance of the different sublineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra A Turk-Kubo
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
| | - Hanna M Farnelid
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS), Linnaeus University, 392 34, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Irina N Shilova
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
| | - Britt Henke
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
| | - Jonathan P Zehr
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
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