Many marine organisms are exposed to decreasing O2 levels due to warming-induced expansion of hypoxic zones and ocean deoxygenation (DeO2). Nevertheless, effects of DeO2 on phytoplankton have been neglected due to technical bottlenecks on examining O2 effects on O2-producing organisms. Here we show that lowered O2 levels increased primary productivity of a coastal phytoplankton assemblage, and enhanced photosynthesis and growth in the coastal diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. Mechanistically, reduced O2 suppressed mitochondrial respiration and photorespiration of T. weissflogii, but increased the efficiency of their CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), effective quantum yield and improved light use efficiency, which was apparent under both ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations leading to ocean acidification (OA). While the elevated CO2 treatment partially counteracted the effect of low O2 in terms of CCMs activity, reduced levels of O2 still strongly enhanced phytoplankton primary productivity. This implies that decreased availability of O2 with progressive DeO2 could boost re-oxygenation by diatom-dominated phytoplankton communities, especially in hypoxic areas, with potentially profound consequences for marine ecosystem services in coastal and pelagic oceans.

In the context of global warming, changes in phytoplankton-associated bacterial communities have the potential to change biogeochemical cycling and food webs in marine ecosystems. Skeletonema is a cosmopolitan diatom genus in coastal waters worldwide. Here, we grew a Skeletonema strain with its native bacterial assemblage at different temperatures and examined cell concentrations of Skeletonema sp. and free-living bacteria, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of cultures, and the community structure of both free-living and attached bacteria at different culture stages. The results showed that elevated temperature increased the specific growth rates of both Skeletonema and free-living bacteria. Different growth stages had a more pronounced effect on community structure compared with temperatures and different physical states of bacteria. The effects of temperature on the structure of the free-living bacterial community were more pronounced compared with diatom-attached bacteria. Carbon metabolism genes and those for some specific amino acid pathways were found to be positively correlated with elevated temperature, which may have profound implications on the oceanic carbon cycle and the marine microbial loop. Network analysis revealed evidence of enhanced cooperation with an increase in positive interactions among different bacteria at elevated temperature. This may help the whole community to overcome the stress of elevated temperature. We speculate that different bacterial species may build more integrated networks with a modified functional profile of the whole community to cope with elevated temperature. This study contributes to an improved understanding of the response of diatom-associated bacterial communities to elevated temperature.

Plastic waste in the ocean is an urgent environmental concern and has given rise to a novel habitat, known as the "plastisphere." Under ocean acidification (OA), changes in plastisphere community composition may alter plastic degradation, deposition, and passage through food webs, but these have not been studied yet. This is the first study about the effects of simulated high CO 2 on the plastisphere using a mesocosm. We discovered that after 1 month the beta diversity of prokaryotic communities living on single-use plastic drinking bottles was significantly different under different carbon dioxide concentrations, with more pathogens at high CO 2 . Based on function prediction analysis, the relative abundance of bacterial taxa involved in nitrogen and nitrate respiration and ureolysis was significantly higher under simulated high CO 2 . We conclude that OA has significant effects on the plastisphere and its predicted functions.