The Algicidal Bacterium Kordia algicida Shapes a Natural Plankton Community

• Arite Bigalke ^[1] ; Nils Meyer ^[1] ; Lydia Alkistis Papanikolopoulou ^[1] ; Karen Helen Wiltshire ^[2] ; Georg Pohnert ^[3]
  1. [1] Friedrich Schiller University Jena

     Friedrich Schiller University Jena

     Kreisfreie Stadt Jena, Alemania

     
  2. [2] Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research

     Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research

     Kreisfreie Stadt Bremerhaven, Alemania

     
  3. [3] Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

     Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

     Kreisfreie Stadt Jena, Alemania

     

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• Localización: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ISSN 0099-2240, Vol. 85, Nº 7, 2019
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Plankton communities change on a seasonal basis in temperate systems, with distinct succession patterns; this is mainly due to algal species that have their optimal timing relative to environmental conditions. We know that bacterial populations are also instrumental in the decay and termination of phytoplankton blooms. Here, we describe algicidal bacteria as modulators of this important species succession. Upon treatment of a natural plankton consortium with an algicidal bacterium, we observed a strong shift in the phytoplankton community structure, compared to controls, resulting in formation of a succeeding Phaeocystis bloom. Blooms of this alga have a substantial impact on global biogeochemical and ecological cycles, as they are responsible for a substantial proportion of primary production during spring in the North Sea. We propose that one of the key factors influencing such community shifts may be algicidal bacteria.