The 'phytoplankton factory' -- from nutrients to algae growth
International study provides new insights into the basis of the marine ecosystem

Date:
August 6, 2021
Source:
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Summary:
Phytoplankton are the foundation of ocean ecosystems: like
rainforests, they consume carbon from the atmosphere, form the
basis of the marine food web and have a decisive influence on
fish abundance and global climate. A recent study provides new
insights into the complex biogeochemical processes at the base of
the marine ecosystem.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Phytoplankton are the foundation of ocean ecosystems: like rainforests,
they consume carbon from the atmosphere, form the basis of the marine food
web and have a decisive influence on fish abundance and global climate. An international study with the participation of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre
for Ocean Research Kiel, which has now been published in the journal
Science Advances, provides new insights into the complex biogeochemical processes at the base of the marine ecosystem.


==========================================================================
All life starts at a small scale, also in the ocean. Microscopic
organisms, phytoplankton, form an important basis for the entire marine ecosystem, which ultimately determines how fish stocks develop and
how much atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken up by the ocean. In this
respect, understanding the basis of the marine ecosystem is important
for two elementary questions for the future of our human population:
nutrition and climate.

Scientists from Dalhousie University, University of Liverpool, GEOMAR
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a new model for studying phytoplankton growth
in the ocean. The model was coupled to metaproteomic and environmental
data to allow accurate predictions of e.g. phytoplankton growth rates
in the Southern Ocean. "You can think of phytoplankton growth like
industrial manufacturing in a factory: Materials come into the factory
and are processed on assembly lines, creating the final product,"
explains Scott McCain, lead author of the study and a PhD student in
the Department of Biology at Canada's Dalhousie University. "We asked
ourselves how to increase output, which is the amount of products leaving
the factory," McCain adds. Applied to phytoplankton, that means how can
they grow faster? "As part of the study, we found that phytoplankton
rearrange their 'cellular assembly lines' to do this," explained
Prof. Dr. Eric Achterberg, co-author of the study from GEOMAR. "We
were not concerned with the amount of available nutrients, including
iron and manganese, that are important for the growth of phytoplankton,
but rather with the question of how the 'cellular assembly lines' in the phytoplankton that process the source substances for their growth adapt
to changes," Achterberg continued. To do this, the researchers created a mathematical model of a phytoplankton that enabled them to simulate these processes. The model was linked to laboratory and cruise data from the
Southern Ocean on metaproteomics, dissolved iron and manganese. This
allowed them to obtain new explanations for various phytoplankton
processes. "Our results show that cumulative cellular costs determine
how environmental conditions change the growth of phytoplankton," says Professor Achterberg.

"This fundamentally changes the way we look at phytoplankton growth and
will lead to better predictions of how phytoplankton will grow in the
ocean," adds Scott McCain. According to the Canadian scientists these
findings are also important for predictions on the development of fish
stocks and global climate change.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Helmholtz_Centre_for_Ocean_Research_Kiel_(GEOMAR). Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. J. Scott P. McCain, Alessandro Tagliabue, Edward Susko, Eric P.

Achterberg, Andrew E. Allen, Erin M. Bertrand. Cellular costs
underpin micronutrient limitation in phytoplankton. Science
Advances, 2021; 7 (32): eabg6501 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg6501 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210806171910.htm

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