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Title: Ultrastructural and Single-Cell-Level Characterization Reveals Metabolic Versatility in a Microbial Eukaryote Community from an Ice-Covered Antarctic Lake

Journal Article · · Applied and Environmental Microbiology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00478-16· OSTI ID:1319189
 [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Miami Univ., Oxford, OH (United States). Dept. of Microbiology
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Biosciences Division

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM) of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, harbor numerous ice-covered bodies of water that provide year-round liquid water oases for isolated food webs dominated by the microbial loop. Single-cell microbial eukaryotes (protists) occupy major trophic positions within this truncated food web, ranging from primary producers (e.g., chlorophytes, haptophytes, and cryptophytes) to tertiary predators (e.g., ciliates, dinoflagellates, and choanoflagellates). To advance the understanding of MCM protist ecology and the roles of MCM protists in nutrient and energy cycling, we investigated potential metabolic strategies and microbial interactions of key MCM protists isolated from a well-described lake (Lake Bonney). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of enrichment cultures, combined with single amplified genome/amplicon sequencing and fluorescence microscopy, revealed that MCM protists possess diverse potential metabolic capabilities and interactions. Two metabolically distinct bacterial clades (FlavobacteriaandMethylobacteriaceae) were independently associated with two key MCM lake microalgae (IsochrysisandChlamydomonas, respectively). We also report on the discovery of two heterotrophic nanoflagellates belonging to the Stramenopila supergroup, one of which lives as a parasite ofChlamydomonas, a dominate primary producer in the shallow, nutrient-poor layers of the lake. Single-cell eukaryotes called protists play critical roles in the cycling of organic matter in aquatic environments. In the ice-covered lakes of Antarctica, protists play key roles in the aquatic food web, providing the majority of organic carbon to the rest of the food web (photosynthetic protists) and acting as the major consumers at the top of the food web (predatory protists). In this study, we utilized a combination of techniques (microscopy, cell sorting, and genomic analysis) to describe the trophic abilities of Antarctic lake protists and their potential interactions with other microbes. Ultimately, our work reveals that Antarctic lake protists rely on metabolic versatility for their energy and nutrient requirements in this unique and isolated environment.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; OPP-1056396
OSTI ID:
1319189
Journal Information:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 82, Issue 12; ISSN 0099-2240
Publisher:
American Society for MicrobiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 23 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Presence and absence of light-independent chlorophyll biosynthesis among Chlamydomonas green algae in an ice-covered Antarctic lake journal January 2019
Early diverging lineages within Cryptomycota and Chytridiomycota dominate the fungal communities in ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica journal November 2017
A guide to methods for estimating phago-mixotrophy in nanophytoplankton journal March 2019
Quantifying the efficiency and biases of forest Saccharomyces sampling strategies journal August 2019
The enigmatic loss of light‐independent chlorophyll biosynthesis from an Antarctic green alga in a light‐limited environment journal December 2018
The Antarctic psychrophiles Chlamydomonas spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of photosystem I in response to iron journal February 2019

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