Mixotrophy, a major mode of nutrition for harmful algal species in eutrophic waters

Burkholder, JoAnn M.; Glibert, Patricia M.; Skelton, Hayley M.

doi:10.1016/j.hal.2008.08.010

Cited by 498 publications

(342 citation statements)

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“…Among the 45 species of dinoflagellates investigated during this and prior studies, the numbers of auxotrophs for vitamins B 12 , B 1 , and B 7 are now 41 (91%), 22 (49%), and 17 (38%), respectively (Table 3), increasing from 24 (86%), 7 (25%), and 7 (25%), respectively reported in Croft et al (14). The commonality of vitamin auxotrophy among dinoflagellates is consistent with the well-known osmotrophic abilities and mixotrophic tendencies displayed by these phytoplankton (1,3,45,46), suggesting that vitamins are among a suite of organic compounds that dinoflagellates exploit for nutrition. Because dinoflagellates are notorious for their ability to form HABs (e.g., most of the species examined in the study), this study suggests that vitamins are key organic compounds that may influence the occurrence of HABs of dinoflagellates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs

Tang

Koch

Gobler

2010

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

240

260

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Eutrophication can play a central role in promoting harmful algal blooms (HABs), and therefore many HAB studies to date have focused on macronutrients (N, P, Si). Although a majority of algal species require exogenous B vitamins (i.e., auxotrophic for B vitamins), the possible importance of organic micronutrients such as B vitamins (B 1 , B 7 , B 12 ) in regulating HABs has rarely been considered. Prior investigations of vitamins and algae have examined a relatively small number of dinoflagellates (n = 26) and a paucity of HAB species (n = 4). In the present study, the vitamin B 1 , B 7 , and B 12 requirements of 41 strains of 27 HAB species (19 dinoflagellates) were investigated. All but one species (two strains) of harmful algae surveyed required vitamin B 12 , 20 of 27 species required B 1 , and 10 of 27 species required B 7 , all proportions higher than the previously reported for non-HAB species. Half-saturation (K s ) constants of several HAB species for B 1 and B 12 were higher than those previously reported for other phytoplankton and similar to vitamin concentrations reported in estuaries. Cellular quotas for vitamins suggest that, in some cases, HAB demands for vitamins may exhaust standing stocks of vitamins in hours to days. The sum of these findings demonstrates the potentially significant ecological role of B-vitamins in regulating the dynamics of HABs.H armful algal blooms (HABs) are a significant threat to coastal ecosystems, public health, economies, and fisheries, and there are strong links between nutrient loading and HABs within ecosystems around the world (1-3). Most studies of HABs focused on nutrients have primarily investigated the importance of macronutrients (N, P, Si) (2, 3). In contrast, the importance of coenzymes and particularly vitamins (vitamins B 1 , B 7 , and B 12 ) in regulating and stimulating HABs has rarely been considered. This omission is despite the fact that exogenous B vitamins are essential compounds for phytoplankton species that lack the required biosynthetic pathways to produce B vitamins, i.e., vitamin B-auxotrophy (4-10).Vitamin B 12 is essential for the synthesis of amino acids, deoxyriboses, and the reduction and transfer of single carbon fragments in many biochemical pathways (11, 12), whereas vitamin B 1 (thiamine) plays a pivotal role in intermediary carbon metabolism and is a cofactor for number of enzymes involved in primary carbohydrate and branched-chain amino acid metabolism (13,14). More than half of 326 algal species surveyed are auxotrophs for B 12 (10-12, 15) and more than 20% of the 306 microalgal species surveyed are auxotrophs for B 1 [compiled in Croft et al. (14)]. In addition, 5% of 306 algae surveyed require biotin (vitamin B 7 ), a cofactor of several essential carboxylase enzymes, such as acetyl CoA (14).Recently, there has been burgeoning interest in the ability of vitamins to regulate phytoplankton community growth and structure. Novel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques for the direct measurement of vitamins B 1 and...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs

Tang

Koch

Gobler

2010

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

240

260

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“…Consistent with our previous arguments , osmotrophy has not been included here as a discriminatory characteristic for mixotrophy in protists. The primary reason is that osmotrophy (uptake of dissolved organic substrates, vitamins and others) appears to be ubiquitous in these organisms, be they protists traditionally identified as phytoplankton or microzooplankton (Sanders, 1991a;Glibert and Legrand, 2006;Burkholder et al, 2008). For example, nonphagotrophic protists, such as diatoms, typically require organics such as vitamins (i.e.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of mixotrophic protists in the biological carbon pump

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The traditional view of the planktonic food web describes consumption of inorganic nutrients by photoautotrophic phytoplankton, which in turn supports zooplankton and ultimately higher trophic levels. Pathways centred on bacteria provide mechanisms for nutrient recycling. This structure lies at the foundation of most models used to explore biogeochemical cycling, functioning of the biological pump, and the impact of climate change on these processes. We suggest an alternative new paradigm, which sees the bulk of the base of this food web supported by protist plankton communities that are mixotrophic -combining phototrophy and phagotrophy within a single cell. The photoautotrophic eukaryotic plankton and their heterotrophic microzooplankton grazers dominate only during the developmental phases of ecosystems (e.g. spring bloom in temperate systems). With their flexible nutrition, mixotrophic protists dominate in more-mature systems (e.g. temperate summer, established eutrophic systems and oligotrophic systems); the more-stable water columns suggested under climate change may also be expected to favour these mixotrophs. We explore how such a predominantly mixotrophic structure affects microbial trophic dynamics and the biological pump. The mixotroph-dominated structure differs fundamentally in its flow of energy and nutrients, with a shortened and potentially more efficient chain from nutrient regeneration to primary production. Furthermore, mixotrophy enables a direct conduit for the support of primary production from bacterial production. We show how the exclusion of an explicit mixotrophic component in studies of the pelagic microbial communities leads to a failure to capture the true dynamics of the carbon flow. In order to prevent a misinterpretation of the full implications of climate change upon biogeochemical cycling and the functioning of the biological pump, we recommend inclusion of multi-nutrient mixotroph models within ecosystem studies.

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“…21 Technology holds promise in another realm: a website devoted to community outreach, with a focus primarily on saving Hutongs and the Great Wall, has been created by a grassroots organization called the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (BCHPC). 22 Their program is ambitious, and not without risk. Hu contends, "What I have been doing now is approaching some student groups and volunteer groups, and also we want to approach the media, talk to the journalists.…”

Section: Potentialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, Volume 21, Number 1 (2013)

Trivedi¹

2014

ANE

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Mixotrophy, a major mode of nutrition for harmful algal species in eutrophic waters

Cited by 498 publications

References 209 publications

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs

The role of mixotrophic protists in the biological carbon pump

ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, Volume 21, Number 1 (2013)

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Mixotrophy, a major mode of nutrition for harmful algal species in eutrophic waters

Cited by 498 publications

References 209 publications

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B1and B12auxotrophs

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B1and B12auxotrophs

The role of mixotrophic protists in the biological carbon pump

ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, Volume 21, Number 1 (2013)

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Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs

Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B₁and B₁₂auxotrophs