Does competition for nanomolar phosphate supply explain the predominance of the cyanobacterium <i>Synechococcus</i>?

Moutin, Thierry; Thingstad, T. Frede; Wambeke, F. Van; Marie, Dominique; Slawyk, Gerd; Raimbault, Patrick; Claustre, Herveé

doi:10.4319/lo.2002.47.5.1562

Cited by 200 publications

(130 citation statements)

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“…Yet it appears that not all marine cyanobacteria are equal in their ability to substitute SQDG for PG. For example, our lipid extracts from marine Synechococcus, which were grown at phosphate concentrations similar to Prochlorococcus cultures, show significantly lower SQDG͞PG (12 Ϯ 5 vs. 37 Ϯ 7), which is consistent with observations that Prochlorococcus are more tolerant of low-phosphorus conditions than Synechococcus (11,12).…”

Section: Significance Of Sulfolipids In Cyanobacteriasupporting

confidence: 76%

“…This result would be at odds with work suggesting that respiration outweighs photosynthesis in the open ocean (36) but could explain, at least to some degree, the conflicting trends of increasing inventories of organic carbon (7) and decreasing inventories of nutrient phosphorus in the NPSG (1,6). Indeed, Prochlorococcus is abundant in other oligotrophic environments where PO 4 3Ϫ is an order of magnitude less abundant than in NPSG (11). Yet it appears that not all marine cyanobacteria are equal in their ability to substitute SQDG for PG.…”

Section: Significance Of Sulfolipids In Cyanobacteriacontrasting

confidence: 54%

“…Prochlorococcus is characterized by its extremely small physical size (0.6 m), relatively small genome (Ͻ2.5 Mbp), and physiologically diverse genotypes present throughout the euphotic zone in subtropical and tropical latitudes (8,9). It also apparently is able to outcompete eukaryotic phytoplankton for dissolved nutrients in the NPSG (10) and other oligotrophic gyres where phosphorus availability may be an important control on various aspects of planktonic growth and activity (11,12). In the NPSG, Prochlorococcus are often so dominant that they are, in effect, the only phytoplankton cells present (10).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments

Mooy

Rocap

Fredricks

et al. 2006

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

354

298

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There is growing evidence that dissolved phosphorus can regulate planktonic production in the oceans' subtropical gyres, yet there is little quantitative information about the biochemical fate of phosphorus in planktonic communities. We observed in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) that the synthesis of membrane lipids accounted for 18 -28% of the phosphate (PO 4 3؊ ) taken up by the total planktonic community. Paradoxically, Prochlorococcus, the cyanobacterium that dominates NPSG phytoplankton, primarily synthesizes sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG), a lipid that contains sulfur and sugar instead of phosphate. In axenic cultures of Prochlorococcus, it was observed that <1% of the total PO 4 3؊ uptake was incorporated into membrane lipids. Liquid chromatography͞mass spectrometry of planktonic lipids in the NPSG confirmed that SQDG was the dominant membrane lipid. Furthermore, the analyses of SQDG synthesis genes from the Sargasso Sea environmental genome showed that the use of sulfolipids in subtropical gyres was confined primarily to picocyanobacteria; no sequences related to known heterotrophic bacterial SQDG lineages were found. This biochemical adaptation by Prochlorococcus must be a significant benefit to these organisms, which compete against phospholipid-rich heterotrophic bacteria for PO 4 3؊ . Thus, evolution of this ''sulfur-for-phosphorus'' strategy set the stage for the success of picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic environments and may have been a major event in Earth's early history when the relative availability of sulfate and PO 4 3؊ were significantly different from today's ocean.bacteria ͉ cyanobacteria ͉ genomics ͉ lipids ͉ marine phosphorus cycle

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Section: Significance Of Sulfolipids In Cyanobacteriasupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Significance Of Sulfolipids In Cyanobacteriacontrasting

confidence: 54%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments

Mooy

Rocap

Fredricks

et al. 2006

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

354

298

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“…Recent studies have suggested phosphorus as the most limiting nutrient with regard to phytoplankton. As a rule, affinity constants for orthophosphate by Cyanobacteria occurred (Moutin et al, 2002;Tanaka et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water quality and plankton populations in an earthen polyculture pond

2011

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This work was carried out during one year in a fish pond to evaluate the effect of water quality in a plankton community according to the adopted management. High densities of Euglenophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Cyanobacteria were associated with high nitrate levels (1 to 210 mg.L -1 ). Cell densities of Cyanobacteria over 90 ind.m 3 × 10 3 (85.5%) occurred when nitrate concentrations approximated 210 mg.L -1 , total phosphorus less than 160 mg.L -1 and temperature above 25 °C. High density of Rotifera was associated with high density of Cyanobacteria (December). Only Trichocerca sp. among the Rotifera species was constant in all sampled sites, whereas Diaphanosoma birgei, ranging between 4 and 342 ind.L -1 (0.7 and 2.4%) during the study period, was the most representative among the Cladocera species. Results show that water quality management in the fish pond had a direct influence on the plankton population due to the shallowness of the environment, large nutrient discharges through feed, fertilizing, fish waste. In fact, they contribute towards the appearance of undesirable plankton organisms.Keywords: fishpond, phytoplankton, zooplankton, limnology, environment management. Qualidade da água e população planctônica em viveiro de policultivo de peixeResumo O presente estudo foi realizado durante um ano em viveiro de produção de peixes, com a finalidade de avaliar o efeito da qualidade da água na comunidade planctônica em função do manejo adotado. Maiores densidades de Euglenophyceae, Chlorophyceae e Cyanobacteria estiveram associadas aos elevados teores de nitrato (1 a 210 mg.L -1 ). Densidades de Cyanobacteria acima de 90 ind.m 3 × 10 3 (85,5%) ocorreram quando as concentrações de nitrato estiveram ao redor de 210 mg.L -1 , fósforo total menor que 106 mg.L -1 e temperatura acima de 25 °C. Elevada densidade de Rotifera também esteve associada às altas densidades de Cyanobacteria (dezembro). Dentre os organismos zooplanctônicos, os Rotifera foram os mais abundantes e somente Trichocerca sp. foi constante em todos os pontos amostrados. Dentre os Cladocera, a espécie mais representativa foi Diaphanosoma birgei, variando de 4 a 342 ind.L -1 (0,7 e 2,4%) durante o período de estudo. Os resultados mostram que qualidade da água e o manejo empregado neste viveiro apresentaram influência direta na população planctônica, em função da baixa profundidade e constante carga de nutrientes que são incorporados no viveiro por meio de alimentos, fertilizantes e fezes de peixes, que contribuem para o aparecimento de organismos planctônicos não desejáveis.Palavras-chave: viveiros, fitoplâncton, zooplâncton, limnologia, manejo ambiental.

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“…The main challenge to making these measurements was to separate the response of Prochlorococcus in the NPSG from that of the more abundant (Campbell et al 1997;Bjö rkman et al 2000 consumption by these two groups (Moutin et al 2002). As an alternative, flow cytometry could be used to physically separate Prochlorococcus from heterotrophic bacteria (Zubkov et al 2003).…”

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confidence: 99%

Assessing nutrient limitation of Prochlorococcus in the North Pacific subtropical gyre by using an RNA capture method

Mooy

Devol

2008

Limnology & Oceanography

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It has been hypothesized that the planktonic community of the North Pacific subtropical gyre (NPSG) underwent a ''domain shift'' in the early 1980s in which phytoplankton of the domain Eukarya were supplanted by phytoplankton of the domain Bacteria, primarily Prochlorococcus. P limitation of eukaryotic phytoplankton was implicated as the causative chemical factor in the domain shift, and we sought to investigate the current nutrient limitation status of Prochlorococcus, now 2 decades since this event. We measured ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis rates by NPSG plankton at Station ALOHA in 33 PO 3{ 4 tracer incubations and found that RNA synthesis was the single largest biochemical sink for dissolved P, accounting for about half of the total PO 3{ 4 uptake. We also found that NH z 4 stimulated RNA synthesis but that PO 3{ 4 did not, which suggested N limitation of plankton growth. We developed a new RNA capture procedure, termed radioisotope-based tracking of RNA synthesis by hybridization and capture (RIBOTRACE), to measure RNA synthesis rates by Prochlorococcus exclusively. Data from this procedure showed that NH z 4 stimulated RNA synthesis by Prochlorococcus and confirmed that Prochlorococcus was N limited and not P limited. Our RIBOTRACE data do not necessarily refute the domain shift hypothesis, but suggest that any critical period of P limitation required for the domain shift must have subsided and given way to the N-limiting conditions that existed previously.

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Does competition for nanomolar phosphate supply explain the predominance of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus?

Cited by 200 publications

References 22 publications

Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments

Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments

Water quality and plankton populations in an earthen polyculture pond

Assessing nutrient limitation of Prochlorococcus in the North Pacific subtropical gyre by using an RNA capture method

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