Growth, metabolic partitioning, and the size of microorganisms

Kempes, Christopher P.; Dutkiewicz, Stephanie; Follows, Michael J.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1115585109

Cited by 119 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

214

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Consequently, smaller cells have a lower specific growth rate. Marañón et al (2013) also showed that phytoplankton growth rates, measured under standardized laboratory conditions, initially increased with size up to ~100 μm 3 biovolume and then declined, similar to the theoretical and experimental work of Kempes et al (2012). Bec et al (2008) and Chen & Liu (2010) also found unimodal patterns in field data from a marine lagoon and a compilation of global field data, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Furthermore, in natural assemblages, systematic changes in rates with size may also be masked by changes in community structure. For example, while μ rates of eukaryotes tend to decrease with size, there is evidence that the opposite is true for prokaryotic cells (DeLong et al 2010, Kempes et al 2012, although see Nielsen 2006). Because our size-dependent rates pooled prokaryotes and eukaryotes together, vari able fractions of the different cell types among size classes could have led to differences in trends with size.…”

Section: Size-specific Trends In Growth and Grazing Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Size-specific growth and grazing rates for picophytoplankton in coastal and oceanic regions of the eastern Pacific

Taniguchi

Landry²,

Franks³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Estimates of growth and grazing mortality rates for different size classes and taxa of natural picophytoplankton assemblages were measured in mixed-layer experiments conducted in 3 regions of the eastern Pacific: the California Current Ecosystem, Costa Rica Dome, and equatorial Pacific. Contrary to expectation, size-dependent rates for cells between 0.45 and 4.0 μm in diameter showed no systematic trends with cell size both in and among regions. For all size classes, mean ± SD growth rates ranged from −0.70 ± 0.17 to 0.83 ± 0.13 d −1 and grazing rates between −0.07 ± 0.13 and 1.17 ± 0.10 d . When comparing rates among taxa, only Prochlorococcus had consistently lower rates than Synechococcocus in all regions. No other trends were apparent. Temperature relationships based on the Metabolic Theory of Ecology were able to explain more of the variability among grazing rates than among growth rates for each taxon considered.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Size-specific Trends In Growth and Grazing Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Size-specific growth and grazing rates for picophytoplankton in coastal and oceanic regions of the eastern Pacific

Taniguchi

Landry²,

Franks³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[19,54,85]). For example, the hypermetric scaling of growth rate among species of unicellular prokaryotes may help explain their similarly steep scaling of metabolic rate (as suggested by [20] based on data in [182,233]). …”

Section: Resource-demand Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All of these multi-mechanistic models include at least two modal mechanisms (Section 3.1.1) (Figure 2), whereas only three of them comprise three or four modal mechanisms (Section 3.1.2) (Figures 1, 3 and 4). prokaryotes may help explain their similarly steep scaling of metabolic rate (as suggested by [20] based on data in [182,233]). Several recent studies have also rediscovered or revived the view that metabolic scaling results from resource demand intrinsically controlled at the cellular level.…”

Section: Multi-mechanistic Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rediscovering and Reviving Old Observations and Explanations of Metabolic Scaling in Living Systems

Glazier

2018

Systems

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why the rate of metabolism varies (scales) in regular, but diverse ways with body size is a perennial, incompletely resolved question in biology. In this article, I discuss several examples of the recent rediscovery and (or) revival of specific metabolic scaling relationships and explanations for them previously published during the nearly 200-year history of allometric studies. I carry out this discussion in the context of the four major modal mechanisms highlighted by the contextual multimodal theory (CMT) that I published in this journal four years ago. These mechanisms include metabolically important processes and their effects that relate to surface area, resource transport, system (body) composition, and resource demand. In so doing, I show that no one mechanism can completely explain the broad diversity of metabolic scaling relationships that exists. Multi-mechanistic models are required, several of which I discuss. Successfully developing a truly general theory of biological scaling requires the consideration of multiple hypotheses, causal mechanisms and scaling relationships, and their integration in a context-dependent way. A full awareness of the rich history of allometric studies, an openness to multiple perspectives, and incisive experimental and comparative tests can help this important quest.

show abstract

“…Recent work demonstrated that simple cooperation within aqueous microbial biofilms allows groups of genetically similar cells to form tall mushroom-like structures that reach beyond local depletion zones into areas of fresh resources (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Other work has shown that basic colonial growth (e.g., that of budding yeast) and the evolution of complex multicellular life are accompanied by enhanced growth efficiency and several energetic advantages (13)(14)(15).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological optimization for access to dual oxidants in biofilms

Kempes

Okegbe

Mears-Clarke

et al. 2013

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

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A major theme driving research in biology is the relationship between form and function. In particular, a longstanding goal has been to understand how the evolution of multicellularity conferred fitness advantages. Here we show that biofilms of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa produce structures that maximize cellular reproduction. Specifically, we develop a mathematical model of resource availability and metabolic response within colony features. This analysis accurately predicts the measured distribution of two types of electron acceptors: oxygen, which is available from the atmosphere, and phenazines, redox-active antibiotics produced by the bacterium. Using this model, we demonstrate that the geometry of colony structures is optimal with respect to growth efficiency. Because our model is based on resource dynamics, we also can anticipate shifts in feature geometry based on changes to the availability of electron acceptors, including variations in the external availability of oxygen and genetic manipulation that renders the cells incapable of phenazine production.A desire to understand the relationship between form and function motivates many lines of inquiry in biology, including the study of multicellular morphologies and the evolution of these features. Cells grow and survive in populations in many types of natural systems. These multicellular populations include bacterial biofilms, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa microcolonies in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients (1) and cyanobacterial colonies and mats in marshes, lakes, and oceans (2, 3), and complex eukaryotic macroorganisms, such as plants and animals. In many of these contexts, enhanced survival arises from advantages associated with multicellularity at multiple scales. Recent work demonstrated that simple cooperation within aqueous microbial biofilms allows groups of genetically similar cells to form tall mushroom-like structures that reach beyond local depletion zones into areas of fresh resources (4-12). Other work has shown that basic colonial growth (e.g., that of budding yeast) and the evolution of complex multicellular life are accompanied by enhanced growth efficiency and several energetic advantages (13-15).The specific organization of and relationship between cells living within a population are important characteristics that determine whether organisms benefit from the multicellular lifestyle. For example, in mammals the metabolic rate of individual cells is regulated by the size of the whole organism, an effect that confers greater efficiency (15). Cells have dramatically elevated metabolic rates when living as individuals in culture compared with when they survive and grow as members of a multicellular organism (15). This regulation is considered a natural consequence of resource supply within hierarchical vascular networks (15-17) and highlights the importance of morphology and structure in dictating cellular physiology for multicellular systems. Variations in gross morphology also may provide information about how different spec...

show abstract

Growth, metabolic partitioning, and the size of microorganisms

Cited by 119 publications

References 42 publications

Size-specific growth and grazing rates for picophytoplankton in coastal and oceanic regions of the eastern Pacific

Size-specific growth and grazing rates for picophytoplankton in coastal and oceanic regions of the eastern Pacific

Rediscovering and Reviving Old Observations and Explanations of Metabolic Scaling in Living Systems

Morphological optimization for access to dual oxidants in biofilms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About