Are prokaryotic cell shape and size suitable to ecosystem characterization?

Ferla, Rosabruna La; Maimone, Giovanna; Caruso, Gabriella; Azzaro, F.; Azzaro, Maurizio; Decembrini, F.; Cosenza, Alessandro; Leonardi, M.; Paranhos, Rodolfo

doi:10.1007/s10750-013-1752-x

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Even superficially simple traits such as the curvature of many rod-shaped bacteria have eluded evolutionary explanations, despite the ubiquity of such morphological variations. For example, while coccoids and “rods” comprise the vast majority of bacteria in the ocean, curved rods account for up to a quarter of these (3), sometimes outnumbering straight rods (4). Also observed but rarely quantified in most other habitats (5–8), curved bacteria have invested heavily in complex genetic machinery to generate and maintain their shapes (9), but we have almost no understanding of the benefits their curvature confers (1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal

Schuech

Hoehfurtner

Smith

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Curved rods are a ubiquitous bacterial phenotype, but the fundamental question of why they are shaped this way remains unanswered. Through in silico experiments, we assessed freely swimming straight- and curved-rod bacteria of a wide diversity of equal-volume shapes parameterized by elongation and curvature, and predicted their performances in tasks likely to strongly influence overall fitness. Performance trade-offs between these tasks lead to a variety of shapes that are Pareto-optimal, including coccoids, all straight rods, and a range of curvatures. Comparison with an extensive morphological survey of motile curved-rod bacteria indicates that the vast majority of species fall within the Pareto-optimal region of morphospace. This result is consistent with evolutionary trade-offs between just three tasks: efficient swimming, chemotaxis, and low cell construction cost. We thus reveal the underlying selective pressures driving morphological diversity in a widespread component of microbial ecosystems.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal

Schuech

Hoehfurtner

Smith

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…LNA functional groups could survive and withstand limited nutrient environments due to their high affinity and binding-protein dependent uptake system ( Salcher et al, 2011 ). In addition, LNA functional groups can adopt a dormancy strategy to withstand limited nutrient concentration ( La Ferla et al, 2014 ). LNA functional groups have small microbial cell sizes ( Proctor et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of High and Low Nucleic Acid-Content Bacteria in Tibetan Ice Cores and Their Relationship to Black Carbon

Mao

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Nutrient enrichment caused by black carbon (BC) is a major ecological crisis in glacial ecosystems. The microbiological effects of BC were assessed in this study by using fluorescent fingerprinting assay based on flow cytometry (FCM) of bacterial communities with low (LNA) and high (HNA) nucleic acid-content bacteria. Here, we investigated a high-resolution temporal variation of bacterial abundance and LNA/HNA ratio in Tibetan ice cores. Our results revealed that bacterial abundance was proportional to the atmospheric BC on the glaciers. The shift of LNA functional groups to HNA functional groups in glaciers suggested BC emissions increased the proportion of highly active cells. In addition, distinct number of LNA and HNA functional groups was identified between the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons. Westerly winds with high amounts of BC accounted for high ratio of HNA functional groups during the non-monsoon season. In comparison, high moisture during the monsoon season decreased atmospheric BC loading, which increases the ratio of LNA functional groups. Correlations between BC and functional groups were very strong, showing that two functional groups may serve as early-warning indicators of microbiological effects of BC at low trophic level. Our approach provides a potential early-warning framework to study the influences of atmospheric BC on the glaciological community.

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“…The total Prokaryotic Abundance (PA) was estimated on fixed samples (formaldehyde 2% final), stained with DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenyl-indole) dye [ 29 ] and analyzed under a Zeiss AXIOPLAN 2 Imaging microscope; an Axiocam digital camera was used for the Prokaryotic biomass (PB) determination [ 30 ]. The contribution of the PB to POC was calculated.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of Microbial Activity Rates by Organic Matter in the Ross Sea during the Austral Summer 2017

et al. 2020

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The active prokaryotic communities proliferate in the ecosystems of the Antarctic Ocean, participating in biogeochemical cycles and supporting higher trophic levels. They are regulated by several environmental and ecological forcing, such as the characteristics of the water masses subjected to global warming and particulate organic matter (POM). During summer 2017, two polynyas in the Ross Sea were studied to evaluate key-microbiological parameters (the proteasic, glucosidasic, and phosphatasic activities, the microbial respiratory rates, the prokaryotic abundance and biomass) in relation to quantitative and qualitative characteristics of POM. Results showed significant differences in the epipelagic layer between two macro-areas (Terra Nova Bay and Ross Sea offshore area). Proteins and carbohydrates were metabolized rapidly in the offshore area (as shown by turnover times), due to high enzymatic activities in this zone, indicating fresh and labile organic compounds. The lower quality of POM in Terra Nova Bay, as shown by the higher refractory fraction, led to an increase in the turnover times of proteins and carbohydrates. Salinity was the physical constraint that played a major role in the distribution of POM and microbial activities in both areas.

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Are prokaryotic cell shape and size suitable to ecosystem characterization?

Cited by 23 publications

References 54 publications

Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal

Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal

Variation of High and Low Nucleic Acid-Content Bacteria in Tibetan Ice Cores and Their Relationship to Black Carbon

Regulation of Microbial Activity Rates by Organic Matter in the Ross Sea during the Austral Summer 2017

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