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Millette NC, Gast RJ, Luo JY, Moeller HV, Stamieszkin K, Andersen KH, Brownlee EF, Cohen NR, Duhamel S, Dutkiewicz S, Glibert PM, Johnson MD, Leles SG, Maloney AE, Mcmanus GB, Poulton N, Princiotta SD, Sanders RW, Wilken S. Mixoplankton and mixotrophy: future research priorities. JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH 2023; 45:576-596. [PMID: 37483910 PMCID: PMC10361813 DOI: 10.1093/plankt/fbad020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Phago-mixotrophy, the combination of photoautotrophy and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, organisms that can combine both trophic strategies, have gained increasing attention over the past decade. It is now recognized that a substantial number of protistan plankton species engage in phago-mixotrophy to obtain nutrients for growth and reproduction under a range of environmental conditions. Unfortunately, our current understanding of mixoplankton in aquatic systems significantly lags behind our understanding of zooplankton and phytoplankton, limiting our ability to fully comprehend the role of mixoplankton (and phago-mixotrophy) in the plankton food web and biogeochemical cycling. Here, we put forward five research directions that we believe will lead to major advancement in the field: (i) evolution: understanding mixotrophy in the context of the evolutionary transition from phagotrophy to photoautotrophy; (ii) traits and trade-offs: identifying the key traits and trade-offs constraining mixotrophic metabolisms; (iii) biogeography: large-scale patterns of mixoplankton distribution; (iv) biogeochemistry and trophic transfer: understanding mixoplankton as conduits of nutrients and energy; and (v) in situ methods: improving the identification of in situ mixoplankton and their phago-mixotrophic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca J Gast
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Jessica Y Luo
- NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, 201 Forrestal Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Holly V Moeller
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1120 Noble Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Karen Stamieszkin
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, 60 Bigelow Dr., East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA
| | - Ken H Andersen
- Center for Ocean Life, Natl. Inst. of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Bygning 202, Kongens Lyngby 2840, Denmark
| | - Emily F Brownlee
- Department of Biology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 18952 E. Fisher Road, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686, USA
| | - Natalie R Cohen
- Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411, USA
| | - Solange Duhamel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, The University of Arizona, 1007 E Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Stephanie Dutkiewicz
- Center for Global Change Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02874, USA
| | - Patricia M Glibert
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 2020 Horns Point Rd, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Matthew D Johnson
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Suzana G Leles
- Department of Marine and Environmental Biology, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Ashley E Maloney
- Geosciences Department, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - George B Mcmanus
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Rd., Groton, CT 06340, USA
| | - Nicole Poulton
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, 60 Bigelow Dr., East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA
| | - Sarah D Princiotta
- Biology Department, Pennsylvania State University, Schuylkill Campus, 200 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972, USA
| | - Robert W Sanders
- Department of Biology, Temple University, 1900 N. 12th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Susanne Wilken
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, 1098 XH, The Netherlands
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Mitra A, Flynn KJ. Low rates of bacterivory enhances phototrophy and competitive advantage for mixoplankton growing in oligotrophic waters. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6900. [PMID: 37106077 PMCID: PMC10140275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33962-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
With climate change, oceans are becoming increasingly nutrient limited, favouring growth of prokaryotic picoplankton at the expense of the larger protist plankton whose growth support higher trophic levels. Constitutive mixoplankton (CM), microalgal plankton with innate phototrophic capability coupled with phagotrophy, graze on these picoplankton, indirectly exploiting the excellent resource acquisition abilities of the prokaryotes. However, feeding rates can be very low (e.g., a few bacteria d-1). For the first time, the significance of such low consumption rates has been quantified. We find that while prokaryote-carbon (C) supply to CM grown at non-limiting light was so low that it may appear insignificant (< 10%), contributions of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from ingestions of 1-12 prokaryotes d-1 were significant. Under limiting light, contributions of ingested C increased, also raising the contributions of N and P. The order of nutritional importance for CM growth from predation was P > N > C. Further, provision of N through internal recycling of ingested prey-N stimulates C-fixation through photosynthesis. Importantly, coupled photo-phago-mixoplanktonic activity improved CM resource affinities for both inorganic and prey-bound nutrients, enhancing the nutritional status and competitiveness of mixoplankton. With warming oceans, with increased prokaryote abundance, we expect CM to exhibit more phagotrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditee Mitra
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK.
| | - Kevin J Flynn
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK
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Patel M, Parikh H, Dave G. Chitosan flakes-mediated diatom harvesting from natural water sources. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 87:1732-1746. [PMID: 37051794 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Diatom is a unicellular photosynthetic microalga that is found in diverse environments. These are decorated with siliceous cell walls called frustules. Diatoms have long been favoured by grazers such as microscopic protozoa and dinoflagellates. However, grazers typically remain intact in laboratory culturing and feed on diatom in culturing vessels and reducing biomass yield. The isolation and cultivation of diatoms in laboratories hamper diatoms' diversity and vast industrial potential. Chitosan, a biopolymer, has been widely used with other polyelectrolytes to flocculate various organic and inorganic colloids at acidic pH. Dissolved chitosan (acidic pH) has been used in various natural water samples and wastewater system for dewatering. However, untreated chitosan flakes have never been evaluated in a heterogeneous natural water environment. Since diatoms have silica surfaces, we tested chitosan for diatom separation and optimized chitosan concentration and other parameters to obtain grazer-free diatom starter culture from raw water. We also elucidated the mechanism for chitosan flakes-mediated diatom flocculation through adsorption kinetics and molecular dynamic simulation analysis. The results of this study are statistically optimized and validated, with a significant R2 value of 0.99 for the proposed model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mainavi Patel
- P. D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, CHARUSAT, Changa, Anand, Gujarat 388421, India E-mail:
| | - Hirak Parikh
- P. D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, CHARUSAT, Changa, Anand, Gujarat 388421, India E-mail:
| | - Gayatri Dave
- P. D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, CHARUSAT, Changa, Anand, Gujarat 388421, India E-mail:
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Millette N, Kelble C, Smith I, Montenero K, Harvey E. Spatial variability of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton in coastal southern Florida, USA. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13291. [PMID: 35497184 PMCID: PMC9048640 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Microzooplankton are considered the primary consumers of phytoplankton in marine environments. Microzooplankton grazing rates on phytoplankton have been studied across the globe, but there are still large regions of the ocean that are understudied, such as sub-tropical coastal oceans. One of these regions is the coastal area around south Florida, USA. We measured microzooplankton grazing rates in two distinct environments around south Florida; the oligotrophic Florida Keys and the mesotrophic outflow from the Everglades. For 2-years from January 2018 to January 2020, we set up 55 dilution and light-dark bottle experiments at five stations to estimate the microzooplankton community grazing rate, instantaneous phytoplankton growth rate, and primary production. Our results suggest that microzooplankton are consuming a higher proportion of the primary production near the Everglades outflow compared to the Florida Keys. We also found that changes in phytoplankton growth rates are disconnected from changes in the microzooplankton grazing rates in the Florida Keys. Overall, the data from the Everglades outflow is what would be expected based on global patterns, but factors other than microzooplankton grazing are more important in controlling phytoplankton biomass in the Florida Keys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Millette
- William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, United States
| | - Christopher Kelble
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Ian Smith
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States,University of Miami, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Kelly Montenero
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States,University of Miami, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Elizabeth Harvey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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Ferreira GD, Figueira J, Marques SC, Hansen PJ, Calbet A. The strengths and weaknesses of Live Fluorescently Labelled Algae (LFLA) to estimate herbivory in protozooplankton and mixoplankton. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 174:105558. [PMID: 34998128 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Live Fluorescently Labelled Algae (LFLA) technique has been used numerous times to estimate microzooplankton herbivory. Yet, it is unknown how mixoplankton (i.e., single-cell organisms that can combine phototrophy and phagotrophy) affect the outcome of this technique. Hence, we conducted a broad-spectrum assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the LFLA technique, using several mixoplanktonic and protozooplanktonic grazers. Species from different taxonomic groups and different feeding mechanisms were tested in short-term experiments (ca. 5 h) in the laboratory, at different prey concentrations and during light and dark periods of the day. Overall, our findings suggest that the LFLA technique, due to its short-term nature, is an effective tracker of diel ingestion and digestion rates, and can detect new mixoplanktonic predators. We recommend that, irrespective of the prey concentration, incubations to measure grazing rates with this technique should generally be concluded within 1 h (adaptable to the environmental temperature). Nevertheless, our results also call for caution whenever using LFLA in the field: feeding mechanisms other than direct engulfment (like peduncle feeding) may provide severely biased ingestion rates. Furthermore, size and species selectivity are very hard to circumvent. To reduce the effects of selectivity, we propose the combined use of two distinctly coloured fluorochromes (i.e., distinct emission spectra). With this modification, one could either label different size ranges of prey or account for species-specific interactions in the food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Duarte Ferreira
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain; Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, DK-3000, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Joana Figueira
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Science Centre, Polytechnic of Leiria, Peniche, Portugal
| | - Sónia Cotrim Marques
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Science Centre, Polytechnic of Leiria, Peniche, Portugal
| | - Per Juel Hansen
- Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, DK-3000, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Albert Calbet
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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