The genetic and ecophysiological diversity of Microcystis

Abstract

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Metagenomic and Metatranscriptomic Insights into Population Diversity of Microcystis Blooms: Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of mcy Genotypes, Including a Partial Operon That Can Be Abundant and Expressed

“…This gene cluster is ancient, having originated from a common ancestor of several cyanobacteria genera, including Microcystis , Dolichospermum , and Planktothrix ( 16 ). The mcy operon also has a polyphyletic distribution within the genus Microcystis , providing evidence for multiple independent mcy gene loss events ( 16 – 18 ). Due to its prevalence and potential toxicity, the expression, regulation, and secretion of microcystin have been studied extensively in locations around the world ( 1 , 6 , 8 , 19 , 20 ).…”

“…Mapping of metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequence reads to reference genomes yields valuable insights into the genomic diversity and functional activity of Microcystis ( 31 – 33 ). However, these methods have not yet been widely applied to seasonal strain successions of natural Microcystis populations, which are an important control on bloom toxicity ( 18 ). Thus, the true environmental diversity of Microcystis populations remains poorly understood.…”

“…The 2014 western Lake Erie bloom was characterized by an early toxic phase and a late nontoxic phase that correlated with a succession of Microcystis strains ( 35 , 36 ). This pattern of succession has been observed worldwide but is not fully understood with respect to environmental or ecological drivers ( 18 ).…”

Dynamic Phycobilin Pigment Variations in Diazotrophic and Non-diazotrophic Cyanobacteria Batch Cultures Under Different Initial Nitrogen Concentrations

“…Fast-growing organisms usually require a high concentration of ribosomes, which are phosphorus (P)-rich macromolecules, providing a fundamental biochemical basis for the widely accepted growth rate hypothesis (GRH, Elser et al, 2000 ). Therefore, the GRH is frequently used to predict a decline in biomass C: P ratio with increasing growth rate and there is evidence supporting such prediction ( Liu et al, 1999 ; Kruskopf and Flynn, 2006 ; Dick et al, 2021 ). In addition, a meta-analysis found phytoplankton exhibit more constrained stoichiometry at higher growth rates ( Hillebrand et al, 2013 ).…”

Models predict planned phosphorus load reduction will make Lake Erie more toxic

“…In the high-H 2 O 2 experiment, the toxigenic strain down-regulated H 2 O 2 -degrading enzymes under ambient conditions. This general strategy of protection against H 2 O 2 by MC over degradation with enzymes may also be reflected in the gene repertoire of Microcystis strains—e.g., katG genes are less frequently found in toxigenic genotypes ( 10 ).…”