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Experimental investigation of taxon-specific response of alkaline phosphatase activity in natural freshwater phytoplankton

Rengefors, Karin LU ; Ruttenberg, K C ; Haupert, C L ; Taylor, C ; Howes, B L and Anderson, D M (2003) In Limnology and Oceanography 48(3). p.1167-1175
Abstract
It is widely accepted that alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) is an efficient indicator of phosphate limitation in freshwater phytoplankton communities. In this study, we investigated whether the response in APA to phosphate limitation differs among the taxa in a mixed phytoplankton assemblage. We used the new enzyme-labeled fluorescence (ELF) technique, which allows microscopic detection of phosphate limitation in individual cells of multiple species. The most prominent findings of this study were that alkaline phosphatase (AP) was induced in many, but not all taxa and that different taxa, as well as different cells within a single taxon, experienced different degrees of phosphate stress under the same environmental conditions. Our... (More)
It is widely accepted that alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) is an efficient indicator of phosphate limitation in freshwater phytoplankton communities. In this study, we investigated whether the response in APA to phosphate limitation differs among the taxa in a mixed phytoplankton assemblage. We used the new enzyme-labeled fluorescence (ELF) technique, which allows microscopic detection of phosphate limitation in individual cells of multiple species. The most prominent findings of this study were that alkaline phosphatase (AP) was induced in many, but not all taxa and that different taxa, as well as different cells within a single taxon, experienced different degrees of phosphate stress under the same environmental conditions. Our approach was to manipulate the limiting nutrient in a natural freshwater phytoplankton community by incubating lake water in the laboratory. We induced nitrogen (N) or phosphate limitation through additions of inorganic nutrients. Both the ELF assay and bulk APA indicated that the lake phytoplankton were not phosphate limited at the start of the experiment. During the experiment, several chlorophyte taxa (e.g., Eudorina and an unidentified solitary spiny coccoid) were driven to phosphate limitation when inorganic N was added, as evidenced by a higher percentage of ELF-labeled cells relative to controls, whereas other chlorophyte taxa such as Actinastrum and Dicryosphaerium were not phosphate stressed under these conditions. In the phosphate-limited treatments, little or no ELF labeling was observed in any cyanobacterial taxa. Furthermore, all taxa observed after the ELF labeling procedure (>10-mum fraction) were labeled with ELF at least on one occasion, demonstrating the wide applicability of the ELF method. By using ELF labeling in tandem with bulk APA, the resolution and analysis of phosphate limitation was increased, allowing the identification of specific phosphate-stressed taxa. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Limnology and Oceanography
volume
48
issue
3
pages
1167 - 1175
publisher
ASLO
external identifiers
  • wos:000182982300022
  • scopus:0038529795
ISSN
1939-5590
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5aa4d520-0f67-48d2-ab08-cd829e43818c (old id 136818)
alternative location
http://aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_48/issue_3/1167.pdf
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 17:05:47
date last changed
2022-03-30 20:31:13
@article{5aa4d520-0f67-48d2-ab08-cd829e43818c,
  abstract     = {{It is widely accepted that alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) is an efficient indicator of phosphate limitation in freshwater phytoplankton communities. In this study, we investigated whether the response in APA to phosphate limitation differs among the taxa in a mixed phytoplankton assemblage. We used the new enzyme-labeled fluorescence (ELF) technique, which allows microscopic detection of phosphate limitation in individual cells of multiple species. The most prominent findings of this study were that alkaline phosphatase (AP) was induced in many, but not all taxa and that different taxa, as well as different cells within a single taxon, experienced different degrees of phosphate stress under the same environmental conditions. Our approach was to manipulate the limiting nutrient in a natural freshwater phytoplankton community by incubating lake water in the laboratory. We induced nitrogen (N) or phosphate limitation through additions of inorganic nutrients. Both the ELF assay and bulk APA indicated that the lake phytoplankton were not phosphate limited at the start of the experiment. During the experiment, several chlorophyte taxa (e.g., Eudorina and an unidentified solitary spiny coccoid) were driven to phosphate limitation when inorganic N was added, as evidenced by a higher percentage of ELF-labeled cells relative to controls, whereas other chlorophyte taxa such as Actinastrum and Dicryosphaerium were not phosphate stressed under these conditions. In the phosphate-limited treatments, little or no ELF labeling was observed in any cyanobacterial taxa. Furthermore, all taxa observed after the ELF labeling procedure (>10-mum fraction) were labeled with ELF at least on one occasion, demonstrating the wide applicability of the ELF method. By using ELF labeling in tandem with bulk APA, the resolution and analysis of phosphate limitation was increased, allowing the identification of specific phosphate-stressed taxa.}},
  author       = {{Rengefors, Karin and Ruttenberg, K C and Haupert, C L and Taylor, C and Howes, B L and Anderson, D M}},
  issn         = {{1939-5590}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{1167--1175}},
  publisher    = {{ASLO}},
  series       = {{Limnology and Oceanography}},
  title        = {{Experimental investigation of taxon-specific response of alkaline phosphatase activity in natural freshwater phytoplankton}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4873369/624609.pdf}},
  volume       = {{48}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}