The relative importance of species diversity and functional group diversity on carbon uptake in phytoplankton communities

Behl, Stephan; Donval, Anne; Stibor, Herwig

doi:10.4319/lo.2011.56.2.0683

Cited by 57 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…This linkage is well documented in terrestrial systems (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) and is increasingly being established for marine systems (8)(9)(10)(11). Marine phytoplankton generate roughly half of global primary production (12)(13)(14) and play a critical role in oceanic ecosystem structure and function.…”

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confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Alexander

Jenkins

Rynearson

et al. 2015

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

157

160

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Diverse communities of marine phytoplankton carry out half of global primary production. The vast diversity of the phytoplankton has long perplexed ecologists because these organisms coexist in an isotropic environment while competing for the same basic resources (e.g., inorganic nutrients). Differential niche partitioning of resources is one hypothesis to explain this "paradox of the plankton," but it is difficult to quantify and track variation in phytoplankton metabolism in situ. Here, we use quantitative metatranscriptome analyses to examine pathways of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) metabolism in diatoms that cooccur regularly in an estuary on the east coast of the United States (Narragansett Bay). Expression of known N and P metabolic pathways varied between diatoms, indicating apparent differences in resource utilization capacity that may prevent direct competition. Nutrient amendment incubations skewed N/P ratios, elucidating nutrient-responsive patterns of expression and facilitating a quantitative comparison between diatoms. The resource-responsive (RR) gene sets deviated in composition from the metabolic profile of the organism, being enriched in genes associated with N and P metabolism. Expression of the RR gene set varied over time and differed significantly between diatoms, resulting in opposite transcriptional responses to the same environment. Apparent differences in metabolic capacity and the expression of that capacity in the environment suggest that diatom-specific resource partitioning was occurring in Narragansett Bay. This high-resolution approach highlights the molecular underpinnings of diatom resource utilization and how cooccurring diatoms adjust their cellular physiology to partition their niche space.phytoplankton | diatom | nutrient physiology | niche partitioning | metatranscriptomics T he stability and primary productivity of ecosystems have long been linked to the diversity of primary producers (1, 2). This linkage is well documented in terrestrial systems (3-7) and is increasingly being established for marine systems (8-11). Marine phytoplankton generate roughly half of global primary production (12-14) and play a critical role in oceanic ecosystem structure and function. Within the phytoplankton, the diatoms generate an estimated 40% of primary production (15). Thus, diatoms alone exert a profound influence over marine primary production and global carbon (C) cycling, particularly in coastal margins and estuaries.Phytoplankton are extremely diverse, with estimates of over 200,000 extant species (16,17). This dramatic level of taxonomic diversity in the plankton is difficult to resolve with the apparently limited number of niches in the pelagic habitat because these organisms compete for the same two basic resources: light and nutrients. As was highlighted by Hutchinson (18), the phytoplankton violate Gause's law of competitive exclusion, which posits that two organisms competing for the same resources cannot coexist. Much thought has gone toward identifying the cause of the "pa...

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confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Alexander

Jenkins

Rynearson

et al. 2015

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

157

160

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“…We find that species selection rather than complementarity controls primary productivity in these marine microbial plankton communities. Differences in the way phytoplankton species use different forms of nitrogen or phosphorus (Alexander et al, 2015), morphological adaptations to different water flow regimes (Cardinale, 2011) and specialization to particular ranges of the underwater light spectrum (Stomp et al, 2004;Behl et al, 2011) have been recognized as potential strategies through which resource specialization and niche partitioning increase community-level productivity. Phytoplankton communities could also benefit from facilitative interactions in subtropical ocean regions, where nitrogen fixers represent a sizeable fraction of the autotrophic plankton community (Karl et al, 2002), significantly contributing to nitrogen budgets in these environments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Primary Productivity Is Driven by a Selection Effect

et al. 2016

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The number of species of autotrophic communities can increase ecosystem productivity through species complementarity or through a selection effect which occurs when the biomass of the community approaches the monoculture biomass of the most productive species. Here we explore the effect of resource supply on marine primary productivity under the premise that the high local species richness of phytoplankton communities increases resource use through transient selection of productive species. Using concurrent measurements of phytoplankton community structure, nitrate fluxes into the euphotic zone, and productivity from a temperate coastal ecosystem, we find that observed productivities are best described by a population growth model in which the dominant species of the community approach their maximum growth rates. We interpret these results as evidence of species selection in communities containing a vast taxonomic repertory. The prevalence of selection effect was supported by open ocean data that show an increase in species dominance across a gradient of nutrient availability. These results highlight the way marine phytoplankton optimize resources and sustain world food stocks. We suggest that the maintenance of phytoplankton species richness is essential to sustain marine primary productivity since it guarantees the occurrence of highly productive species.

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“…That is, species must respond differently to environmental fluctuations or interact in ways that cause their populations to vary asynchronously in order for diversity to enhance ecosystem stability. The species that are present and what role they play in the ecosystem (i.e., functional diversity) is at least as important in determining both ecosystem stability and productivity [22,31].…”

Section: Ecological Principles and Polyculturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production

Newby¹,

Mathews²,

Pate³

et al. 2016

Algal Research

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To date, the algal biofuel industry has focused on the cultivation of monocultures of highly productive algal strains, but scaling up production remains challenging. Algal monocultures are difficult to maintain because they are easily contaminated by wild algal strains, grazers, and pathogens. In contrast, theory suggests that polycultures (multispecies assemblages) can promote both ecosystem stability and productivity. A greater understanding of species interactions and how communities change with time needs to be developed. Ultimately a predictive model of community interactions is needed to harness the capacity of biodiversity to enhance productivity of algal polycultures at industrial scales. Here we review the agricultural and ecological literature to explore opportunities for increased annual biomass production through the use of algal polycultures. We discuss case studies where algal polycultures have been successfully maintained for industries other than the biofuel industry, as well as the few studies that have compared biomass production of algal polycultures to that of monocultures. Assemblages that include species with complementary traits are of particular promise. These assemblages have the potential to increase crop productivity and stability presumably by utilizing natural resources (e.g. light, nutrients, and water) more efficiently via tighter niche packing. Therefore, algal polycultures show promise for enhancing biomass productivity, enabling sustainable production and reducing overall production costs.

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The relative importance of species diversity and functional group diversity on carbon uptake in phytoplankton communities

Cited by 57 publications

References 50 publications

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Metatranscriptome analyses indicate resource partitioning between diatoms in the field

Marine Primary Productivity Is Driven by a Selection Effect

Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production

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