ABSTRACTGrowth and productivity of phytoplankton substantially change organic matter characteristics, which affect bacterial abundance, productivity, and community structure in aquatic ecosystems. We analyzed bacterial community structures and measured activities inside and outside phytoplankton blooms in the western North Pacific Ocean by using bromodeoxyuridine immunocytochemistry and fluorescencein situhybridization (BIC-FISH).Roseobacter/Rhodobacter, SAR11,Betaproteobacteria,Alteromonas, SAR86, andBacteroidetesresponded differently to changes in organic matter supply.Roseobacter/Rhodobacterbacteria remained widespread, active, and proliferating despite large fluctuations in organic matter and chlorophylla(Chl-a) concentrations. The relative contribution ofBacteroidetesto total bacterial production was consistently high. Furthermore, we documented the unexpectedly large contribution ofAlteromonasto total bacterial production in the bloom. Bacterial abundance, productivity, and growth potential (the proportion of growing cells in a population) were significantly correlated with Chl-aand particulate organic carbon concentrations. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that organic matter supply was critical for determining bacterial community structures. The growth potential of each bacterial group as a function of Chl-aconcentration showed a bell-shaped distribution, indicating an optimal organic matter concentration to promote growth. The growth ofAlteromonasandBetaproteobacteriawas especially strongly correlated with organic matter supply. These data elucidate the distinctive ecological role of major bacterial taxa in organic matter cycling during open ocean phytoplankton blooms.
Widespread phytoplankton blooms triggered by 2019–2020 Australian wildfires
