Environmental control and metabolic strategies of organic-matter-responsive bacterioplankton in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica)

Piontek, J, Hassenruck, C, Zäncker, B and Jürgens, K 2024 Environmental control and metabolic strategies of organic-matter-responsive bacterioplankton in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica). Environmental Microbiology, 26 (7). https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16675

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Abstract/Summary

Heterotrophic microbial communities play a significant role in driving carbon fluxes in marine ecosystems. Despite their importance, these communities remain understudied in remote polar oceans, which are known for their substantial contribution to the biological drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our research focused on understanding the environmental factors and genetic makeup of key bacterial players involved in carbon remineralization in the Weddell Sea, including its coastal polynyas. Our experiments demonstrated that the combination of labile organic matter supply and temperature increase synergistically boosted bacterial growth. This suggests that, besides low seawater temperature, carbon limitation also hinders heterotrophic bacterial activity. Through the analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes, we discovered distinct genomic adaptation strategies in Bacteroidia and Gammaproteobacteria, both of which respond to organic matter. Both natural phytoplankton blooms and experimental addition of organic matter favoured Bacteroidia, which possess a large number of gene copies and a wide range of functional membrane transporters, glycoside hydrolases, and aminopeptidases. In contrast, the genomes of organic-matter-responsive Gammaproteobacteria were characterized by high densities of transcriptional regulators and transporters. Our findings suggest that bacterioplankton in the Weddell Sea, which respond to organic matter, employ metabolic strategies similar to those of their counterparts in temperate oceans. These strategies enable efficient growth at extremely low seawater temperatures, provided that organic carbon limitation is alleviated

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	heterotrophic bacteria, carbon remineralization, Weddell Sea, metagenome-assembled genomes, Bacteroidia, Gammaproteobacteria, bacterioplankton
Subjects:	Ecology and Environment Marine Sciences
Divisions:	Marine Biological Association of the UK > Marine Microbiome
Depositing User:	Ms Kristina Hixon
Date made live:	08 Aug 2024 10:25
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2024 10:25
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/10269

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