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Fu Y, Qu Z, Wang Y, Sun P, Jiao N, Xu D. Biogeographical and biodiversity patterns of planktonic microeukaryotes along the tropical western to eastern Pacific Ocean transect revealed by metabarcoding. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0242423. [PMID: 38488393 PMCID: PMC10986530 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02424-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Microeukaryotic plankton (0.2-200 µm), which are morphologically and genetically highly diverse, play a crucial role in ocean productivity and carbon consumption. The Pacific Ocean (PO), one of the world's largest oligotrophic regions, remains largely unexplored in terms of the biogeography and biodiversity of microeukaryotes based on large-scale sampling. We investigated the horizontal distribution of microeukaryotes along a 16,000 km transect from the west to the east of the PO. The alpha diversity indices showed a distinct decreasing trend from west to east, which was highly correlated with water temperature. The microeukaryotic community, which was clustered into the western, central, and eastern PO groups, displayed a significant distance-decay relationship. Syndiniales, a lineage of parasitic dinoflagellates, was ubiquitously distributed along the transect and dominated the community in terms of both sequence and zero-radius operational taxonomic unit (ZOTU) proportions. The prevailing dominance of Syndiniales-affiliated ZOTUs and their close associations with dinoflagellates, diatoms, and radiolarians, as revealed by SparCC correlation analysis, suggested that parasitism may be an important trophic strategy in the surface waters of the PO. Geographical distance and temperature were the most important environmental factors that significantly correlated with community structure. Overall, our study sheds more light on the distribution pattern of both alpha and beta diversities of microeukaryotic communities and highlighted the importance of parasitisms by Syndiniales across the tropical PO.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the biogeographical and biodiversity patterns of microeukaryotic communities is essential to comprehending their roles in biogeochemical cycling. In this study, planktonic microeukaryotes were collected along a west-to-east Pacific Ocean transect (ca. 16,000 km). Our study revealed that the alpha diversity indices were highly correlated with water temperature, and the microeukaryotic communities displayed a distinct geographical distance-driven pattern. The predominance of the parasitic dinoflagellate lineage Syndiniales and their close relationship with other microeukaryotic groups suggest that parasitism may be a crucial survival strategy for microeukaryotes in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. Our findings expand our understanding of the biodiversity and biogeographical pattern of microeukaryotes and highlight the significance of parasitic Syndiniales in the surface ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjun Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Carbon Sequestration, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhishuai Qu
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ping Sun
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Nianzhi Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Carbon Sequestration, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Dapeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Carbon Sequestration, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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Seo HJ, Kim YH, Yang HJ, Park MG, Lee MJ, Kim DJ, Jang SH. Spring protistan communities in response to warming in the northeastern East China Sea. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 196:106376. [PMID: 38316569 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106376] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The northeastern East China Sea is a highly dynamic marine ecosystem influenced by seasonally varying water mass properties. However, despite being among the world's fastest-warming ocean, there has been limited investigation into the impacts of warming on protistan communities. We collected seawater from two stations (E42 and E46) with different natural protist communities and environmental attributes to investigate the acclimation of the two communities to artificially elevated temperatures (ambient T, +2, and +4 °C). Nutrient and Chl-a conditions reflected oceanographic differences, providing insights into protistan community dynamics. Notably, small-sized autotrophic protists prevailed in the phosphate-deficient E42 community, with mid-incubation heterotrophic conversions. Higher temperatures exacerbated the effects of the P deficiency on the E42 community. While the proportions of Bacillariophyta increased only in the nutrient-balanced E46 communities, those of mixotrophic dinoflagellates increased with elevated temperature, regardless of P deficiency, suggesting that mixotrophy likely aids adaptation in changing marine environments. In summary, the findings of this microcosm study illuminate the potential modulation of spring protistan communities in the northeastern East China Sea under anticipated future warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Jin Seo
- Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Yun Hee Kim
- Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Hyun Jun Yang
- Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Myung Gil Park
- Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Moo Joon Lee
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, Anyang University, Incheon 23038, South Korea
| | - Dae Jin Kim
- Training Ship Administrative Center, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 59626, South Korea
| | - Se Hyeon Jang
- Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea.
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Anderson SR, Blanco-Bercial L, Carlson CA, Harvey EL. Role of Syndiniales parasites in depth-specific networks and carbon flux in the oligotrophic ocean. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae014. [PMID: 38419659 PMCID: PMC10900894 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Microbial associations that result in phytoplankton mortality are important for carbon transport in the ocean. This includes parasitism, which in microbial food webs is dominated by the marine alveolate group, Syndiniales. Parasites are expected to contribute to carbon recycling via host lysis; however, knowledge on host dynamics and correlation to carbon export remain unclear and limit the inclusion of parasitism in biogeochemical models. We analyzed a 4-year 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding dataset (2016-19), performing network analysis for 12 discrete depths (1-1000 m) to determine Syndiniales-host associations in the seasonally oligotrophic Sargasso Sea. Analogous water column and sediment trap data were included to define environmental drivers of Syndiniales and their correlation with particulate carbon flux (150 m). Syndiniales accounted for 48-74% of network edges, most often associated with Dinophyceae and Arthropoda (mainly copepods) at the surface and Rhizaria (Polycystinea, Acantharea, and RAD-B) in the aphotic zone. Syndiniales were the only eukaryote group to be significantly (and negatively) correlated with particulate carbon flux, indicating their contribution to flux attenuation via remineralization. Examination of Syndiniales amplicons revealed a range of depth patterns, including specific ecological niches and vertical connection among a subset (19%) of the community, the latter implying sinking of parasites (infected hosts or spores) on particles. Our findings elevate the critical role of Syndiniales in marine microbial systems and reveal their potential use as biomarkers for carbon export.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean R Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA 02543, United States
| | | | - Craig A Carlson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States
| | - Elizabeth L Harvey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States
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