scholarly journals Factors limiting heterotrophic bacterial production in the southern Pacific Ocean

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 3799-3828 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Van Wambeke ◽  
S. Bonnet ◽  
T. Moutin ◽  
P. Raimbault ◽  
G. Alarçon ◽  
...  

Abstract. The role of potential factors limiting bacterial growth was investigated along vertical and longitudinal gradients across the South Eastern Pacific Gyre. The effects of glucose, nitrate, ammonium and phosphate additions on heterotrophic bacterial production (using leucine technique) were studied in parallel in unfiltered seawater samples incubated under natural daily irradiance. Longitudinally, the enrichments realized on the subsurface showed three types of responses. From the Marquesas plateau (8° W to approx 125° W), bacteria were not bottom-up controlled, as confirmed by the huge potential of growth in non-enriched seawater (43±24 times in 24 h). Within the Gyre (125° W–95° W), nitrogen alone stimulated leucine incorporation rates by a factor of 5.6±3.6, but rapidly labile carbon (glucose) became a second limiting factor (enhancement factor 49±32 when the two elements were added). Finally from the border of the gyre to the Chilean upwelling (95° W–73° W), labile carbon was the only factor stimulating heterotrophic bacterial production. Interaction between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterial communities and the direct versus indirect effect of iron and macronutrients on bacterial production were also investigated in four selected sites: two sites on the vicinity of the Marquesas plateau, the centre of the gyre and the Eastern border of the gyre. Both phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria were limited by availability of nitrogen within the gyre, but not by iron. While iron limited phytoplankton at Marquesas plateau and at the eastern border of the gyre, heterotrophic bacteria were only limited by availability of labile DOC in those environments.

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Van Wambeke ◽  
S. Bonnet ◽  
T. Moutin ◽  
P. Raimbault ◽  
G. Alarcón ◽  
...  

Abstract. The role of potential factors limiting bacterial growth was investigated along vertical and longitudinal gradients across the South Eastern Pacific Gyre. The effects of glucose, nitrate, ammonium and phosphate additions on heterotrophic bacterial production (using leucine technique) were studied in parallel in unfiltered seawater samples incubated under natural daily irradiance. The enrichments realized on the subsurface showed three types of responses. From 141° W (Marquesas plateau) to approx 125° W, bacteria were not bottom-up controlled, as confirmed by the huge potential of growth in non-enriched seawater (median of enhancement factor×39 in 24 h). Within the Gyre (125° W–95° W), nitrogen alone stimulated leucine incorporation rates (median×4.2), but rapidly labile carbon (glucose) became a second limiting factor (median×37) when the two elements were added. Finally from the border of the gyre to the Chilean upwelling (95° W–73° W), labile carbon was the only factor stimulating heterotrophic bacterial production. Interaction between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterial communities and the direct versus indirect effect of iron and macronutrients on bacterial production were also investigated in four selected sites: two sites on the vicinity of the Marquesas plateau, the centre of the gyre and the Eastern border of the gyre. Both phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria were limited by availability of nitrogen within the gyre, but not by iron. Iron limited phytoplankton at Marquesas plateau and at the eastern border of the gyre. However 48 h enrichment experiments were not sufficient to show any clear limitation of heterotrophic bacteria within Marquesas plateau and showed a limitation of these organisms by labile carbon in the eastern border of the Gyre.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1983-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Obernosterer ◽  
M. Fourquez ◽  
S. Blain

Abstract. It has been univocally shown that iron (Fe) is the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton metabolism in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters, yet the question of how this trace metal affects heterotrophic microbial activity is far less understood. We investigated the role of Fe for bacterial heterotrophic production and growth at three contrasting sites in the naturally Fe-fertilized region east of the Kerguelen Islands and at one site in HNLC waters during the KEOPS2 (Kerguelen Ocean and Plateau Compared Study 2) cruise in spring 2011. We performed dark incubations of natural microbial communities amended either with iron (Fe, as FeCl3) or carbon (C, as trace-metal clean glucose), or a combination of both, and followed bacterial abundance and heterotrophic production for up to 7 days. Our results show that single and combined additions of Fe and C stimulated bulk and cell-specific bacterial production at the Fe-fertilized sites, while in HNLC waters only combined additions resulted in significant increases in these parameters. Bacterial abundance was enhanced in two out of the three experiments performed in Fe-fertilized waters but did not respond to Fe or C additions in HNLC waters. Our results provide evidence that both Fe and C are present at limiting concentrations for bacterial heterotrophic activity in the naturally fertilized region off the Kerguelen Islands in spring, while bacteria were co-limited by these elements in HNLC waters. These results shed new light on the role of Fe in bacterial heterotrophic metabolism in regions of the Southern Ocean that receive variable Fe inputs.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 3216-3221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Calvo-D�az ◽  
Xos� Anxelu G. Mor�n

ABSTRACT Leucine-to-carbon conversion factors (CFs) are needed for converting substrate incorporation into biomass production of heterotrophic bacteria. During 2006 we performed 20 dilution experiments for determining the spatiotemporal variability of empirical CFs in temperate Atlantic coastal waters. Values (0.49 to 1.92 kg C mol Leu−1) showed maxima in autumn to early winter and minima in summer. Spatially averaged CFs were significantly negatively correlated with in situ leucine incorporation rates (r = −0.91) and positively correlated with phosphate concentrations (r = 0.76). These relationships, together with a strong positive covariation between cell-specific leucine incorporation rates and carbon contents (r = 0.85), were interpreted as a strategy to maximize survival through protein synthesis and low growth rates under nutrient limitation (low CFs) until favorable conditions stimulate cell division relative to protein synthesis (high CFs). A multiple regression with in situ leucine incorporation rates and cellular carbon contents explained 96% of CF variance in our ecosystem, suggesting their potential prediction from more easily measurable routine variables. The use of the theoretical CF of 1.55 kg C mol Leu−1 would have resulted in a serious overestimation (73%) of annual bacterial production rates. Our results emphasize the need for considering the temporal scale in CFs for bacterial production studies.


1970 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Tek Bahadur Gurung ◽  
Jotaro Urabe

This paper gives a chronological review on our understanding in the role of heterotrophic bacteria in trophic and nutrient dynamic aspects of aquatic microbial ecology. Traditionally, the role of  heterotrophic bacteria was known as decomposer only. Later studies revealed that bacteria could be the food for several grazers especially, nano-, micro-  and mesozooplankton. Now, it is clear that heterotrophic bacteria channel the energy and matter to higher trophic level via microbial and metazoan food chains. Previously it was argued that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the prime limiting factor for fueling the energy and nutrient in aquatic ecosystem. However, emerging experimental evidences suggest that enrichment of plant nutrients such as phosphorus (P) stimulates bacterial growth. These suggest accumulation or organic carbon and other important nutrients in aquatic ecosystem, which are funneled in presence of limiting nutrients phosphorus. Moreover, recent studies showed that material transfer efficiency from bacteria to higher trophic level may depend on species composition of mesozooplankton. These discoveries established that bacterial primary production contributes substantially in secondary production, implying that contrasting to their tiny form bacteria play much important role in trophic and nutrient dynamics aspects of aquatic ecology. Key words:  Heterotrophic bacteria; Trophic dynamics; Nutrients; Mesozooplankton DOI: 10.3126/eco.v17i0.4097Ecoprint An International Journal of Ecology Vol. 17, 2010 Page: 9-16 Uploaded date: 28 December, 2010  


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (17) ◽  
pp. 5539-5546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa K. Michelou ◽  
Matthew T. Cottrell ◽  
David L. Kirchman

ABSTRACT We examined the contribution of photoheterotrophic microbes—those capable of light-mediated assimilation of organic compounds—to bacterial production and amino acid assimilation along a transect from Florida to Iceland from 28 May to 9 July 2005. Bacterial production (leucine incorporation at a 20 nM final concentration) was on average 30% higher in light than in dark-incubated samples, but the effect varied greatly (3% to 60%). To further characterize this light effect, we examined the abundance of potential photoheterotrophs and measured their contribution to bacterial production and amino acid assimilation (0.5 nM addition) using flow cytometry. Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were abundant in surface waters where light-dependent leucine incorporation was observed, whereas aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria were abundant but did not correlate with the light effect. The per-cell assimilation rates of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were comparable to or higher than those of other prokaryotes, especially in the light. Picoeukaryotes also took up leucine (20 nM) and other amino acids (0.5 nM), but rates normalized to biovolume were much lower than those of prokaryotes. Prochlorococcus was responsible for 80% of light-stimulated bacterial production and amino acid assimilation in surface waters south of the Azores, while Synechococcus accounted for on average 12% of total assimilation. However, nearly 40% of the light-stimulated leucine assimilation was not accounted for by these groups, suggesting that assimilation by other microbes is also affected by light. Our results clarify the contribution of cyanobacteria to photoheterotrophy and highlight the potential role of other photoheterotrophs in biomass production and dissolved-organic-matter assimilation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Sullivan-Stack ◽  
BA Menge

Top predator decline has been ubiquitous across systems over the past decades and centuries, and predicting changes in resultant community dynamics is a major challenge for ecologists and managers. Ecological release predicts that loss of a limiting factor, such as a dominant competitor or predator, can release a species from control, thus allowing increases in its size, density, and/or distribution. The 2014 sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS) outbreak decimated populations of the keystone predator Pisaster ochraceus along the Oregon coast, USA. This event provided an opportunity to test the predictions of ecological release across a broad spatial scale and determine the role of competitive dynamics in top predator recovery. We hypothesized that after P. ochraceus loss, populations of the subordinate sea star Leptasterias sp. would grow larger, more abundant, and move downshore. We based these predictions on prior research in Washington State showing that Leptasterias sp. competed with P. ochraceus for food. Further, we predicted that ecological release of Leptasterias sp. could provide a bottleneck to P. ochraceus recovery. Using field surveys, we found no clear change in density or distribution in Leptasterias sp. populations post-SSWS, and decreases in body size. In a field experiment, we found no evidence of competition between similar-sized Leptasterias sp. and P. ochraceus. Thus, the mechanisms underlying our predictions were not in effect along the Oregon coast, which we attribute to differences in habitat overlap and food availability between the 2 regions. Our results suggest that response to the loss of a dominant competitor can be unpredictable even when based in theory and previous research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shugang Zhao ◽  
Hongxia Wang ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Linqing Li ◽  
Jinbing Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tissue culture is an effective method for the rapid breeding of seedlings and improving production efficiency, but explant browning is a key limiting factor of walnut tissue culture. Specifically, the polymerization of PPO-derived quinones that cause explant browning of walnut is not well understood. This study investigated explants of ‘Zanmei’ walnut shoot apices cultured in agar (A) or vermiculite (V) media, and the survival percentage, changes in phenolic content, POD and PPO activity, and JrPPO expression in explants were studied to determine the role of PPO in the browning of walnut explants. Results The results showed that the V media greatly reduced the death rate of explants, and 89.9 and 38.7% of the explants cultured in V media and A media survived, respectively. Compared with that of explants at 0 h, the PPO of explants cultured in A was highly active throughout the culture, but activity in those cultured in V remained low. The phenolic level of explants cultured in A increased significantly at 72 h but subsequently declined, and the content in the explants cultured in V increased to a high level only at 144 h. The POD in explants cultured in V showed high activity that did not cause browning. Gene expression assays showed that the expression of JrPPO1 was downregulated in explants cultured in both A and V. However, the expression of JrPPO2 was upregulated in explants cultured in A throughout the culture and upregulated in V at 144 h. JrPPO expression analyses in different tissues showed that JrPPO1 was highly expressed in stems, young leaves, mature leaves, catkins, pistils, and hulls, and JrPPO2 was highly expressed in mature leaves and pistils. Moreover, browning assays showed that both explants in A and leaf tissue exhibited high JrPPO2 activity. Conclusion The rapid increase in phenolic content caused the browning and death of explants. V media delayed the rapid accumulation of phenolic compounds in walnut explants in the short term, which significantly decreased explants mortality. The results suggest that JrPPO2 plays a key role in the oxidation of phenols in explants after branch injury.


2021 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umit Demirbas ◽  
Martin Kellert ◽  
Jelto Thesinga ◽  
Yi Hua ◽  
Simon Reuter ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present detailed experimental results with cryogenic Yb:YLF gain media in rod-geometry. We have comparatively investigated continuous-wave (cw) lasing and regenerative amplification performance under different experimental conditions. In the cw lasing experiments effect of crystal doping, cw laser cavity geometry and pump wavelength on lasing performance were explored. Regenerative amplification behavior was analyzed and the role of depolarization losses on performance was investigated. A recently developed temperature estimation method was also employed for the first time in estimating average crystal temperature under lasing conditions. It is shown that the thermal lens induced by transverse temperature gradients is the main limiting factor and strategies for future improvements are discussed. To the best of our knowledge, the achieved results in this study (375 W in cw, and 90 W in regenerative amplification) are the highest average powers ever obtained from this system via employing the broadband E//a axis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (13) ◽  
pp. 3496-3504
Author(s):  
W. O. Khunjar ◽  
N. G. Love ◽  
J. Skotnicka-Pitak ◽  
D. Aga ◽  
W. F. Harper

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-191
Author(s):  
Paul M. Catling ◽  
Brenda Kostiuk ◽  
Jeffrey H. Skevington

Alaska Wild Rhubarb (Koenigia alaskana var. glabrescens; Polygonaceae) is a native Arctic, subarctic, and alpine plant of northwestern North America. Although the plant has some economic and ecological importance, its biology is poorly known. At 11 sites in the northeast corner of its range in Northwest Territories, we found that 87% of its floral visitors were flies, mostly Syrphidae, a diverse family known to be important pollinators. Insects visiting consecutive flowers on different plants and, thus, likely effecting pollination were also flies (78.6%) and also mostly Syrphidae (72.7%) followed by Hymenoptera (20%). Although syrphids were the dominant potential pollinators at most sites, there was some variation among sites. Our results provide quantitative support for pollinator diversity and the major role of Syrphidae in pollination of Alaska Wild Rhubarb. We suggest that pollination is not a limiting factor in this plant’s spread, nor its rare and local occurrence and restricted distribution, because the majority of its pollinators are widespread.


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