Abstract:Ochromonas sensu lato is the largest genus in the Chrysophyceae, containing over 100 names. Ochromonas species are biflagellate, naked, plastid‐bearing single cells, distinguished from loricate, scaled, colonial and colorless genera. Most, if not all, species of Ochromonas are mixotrophic, i.e., they photosynthesize but they also engulf bacteria and other small prey. Preliminary evidence from SSU rRNA sequences show that Ochromonas is a polyphyletic genus. Ochromonas tuberculata is the most distinct from all o… Show more
“…Cells can also escape from their loricae and are then indistinguishable from Ochromonas spp. (14,17). Paraphysomonas is characterized by siliceous scales on the cell surface, but these scales cannot be easily seen with light microscopy (7).…”
Small eukaryotes, cells with a diameter of less than 5 m, are fundamental components of lacustrine planktonic systems. In this study, small-eukaryote diversity was determined by sequencing cloned 18S rRNA genes in three libraries from lakes of differing trophic status in the Massif Central, France: the oligotrophic Lake Godivelle, the oligomesotrophic Lake Pavin, and the eutrophic Lake Aydat. This analysis shows that the least diversified library was in the eutrophic lake (12 operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) and the most diversified was in the oligomesotrophic lake (26 OTUs). Certain groups were present in at least two ecosystems, while the others were specific to one lake on the sampling date. Cryptophyta, Chrysophyceae, and the strictly heterotrophic eukaryotes, Ciliophora and fungi, were identified in the three libraries. Among the small eukaryotes found only in two lakes, Choanoflagellida and environmental sequences (LKM11) were not detected in the eutrophic system whereas Cercozoa were confined to the oligomesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Three OTUs, linked to the Perkinsozoa, were detected only in the Aydat library, where they represented 60% of the clones of the library. Chlorophyta and Haptophyta lineages were represented by a single clone and were present only in Godivelle and Pavin, respectively. Of the 127 clones studied, classical pigmented organisms (autotrophs and mixotrophs) represented only a low proportion regardless of the library's origin. This study shows that the small-eukaryote community composition may differ as a function of trophic status; certain lineages could be detected only in a single ecosystem.
“…Cells can also escape from their loricae and are then indistinguishable from Ochromonas spp. (14,17). Paraphysomonas is characterized by siliceous scales on the cell surface, but these scales cannot be easily seen with light microscopy (7).…”
Small eukaryotes, cells with a diameter of less than 5 m, are fundamental components of lacustrine planktonic systems. In this study, small-eukaryote diversity was determined by sequencing cloned 18S rRNA genes in three libraries from lakes of differing trophic status in the Massif Central, France: the oligotrophic Lake Godivelle, the oligomesotrophic Lake Pavin, and the eutrophic Lake Aydat. This analysis shows that the least diversified library was in the eutrophic lake (12 operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) and the most diversified was in the oligomesotrophic lake (26 OTUs). Certain groups were present in at least two ecosystems, while the others were specific to one lake on the sampling date. Cryptophyta, Chrysophyceae, and the strictly heterotrophic eukaryotes, Ciliophora and fungi, were identified in the three libraries. Among the small eukaryotes found only in two lakes, Choanoflagellida and environmental sequences (LKM11) were not detected in the eutrophic system whereas Cercozoa were confined to the oligomesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Three OTUs, linked to the Perkinsozoa, were detected only in the Aydat library, where they represented 60% of the clones of the library. Chlorophyta and Haptophyta lineages were represented by a single clone and were present only in Godivelle and Pavin, respectively. Of the 127 clones studied, classical pigmented organisms (autotrophs and mixotrophs) represented only a low proportion regardless of the library's origin. This study shows that the small-eukaryote community composition may differ as a function of trophic status; certain lineages could be detected only in a single ecosystem.
“…Ochromonas is the most species-rich genus in the Chrysophyceae and is distributed throughout freshwaters (Edgar & Andersen 2003). O. danica contains plastids, but will not grow autotrophically at ambient CO 2 levels (Aaronson & Baker 1959).…”
In aquatic systems, the protist−bacteria consumer−resource interaction is one of the few interactions that link and regulate the flow of dissolved nutrients to higher trophic levels. While this interaction is well characterized from the perspective of top-down control of bacteria, less understood is how the interaction may regulate consumer success. Here, we consider the protist−bacteria consumer−resource interaction and explore relationships among food quality (measured as ratios of C:N, C:P, or N:P), prey type (measured by prey-size and taxonomic affiliation), and consumer success (measured by growth rate). We use a model consumer, the flagellate Ochromonas danica, and a variety of bacterial species as resources. Rates at which prey were ingested corresponded to prey quality for metrics of food quality based on C (C:N and C:P). Prey quality also strongly influenced consumer fitness. A large imbalance between the element ratio of the consumer and that of its prey had a negative impact on consumer fitness, particularly when excess C or excess N was consumed. Prey type, as a phylogenetic group of bacteria, also influenced consumer success. Betaproteobacteria were readily consumed but failed to support consumer growth, mainly as a result of a nutrient imbalance between consumer and resource.
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