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Metabolic and physiological changes in Prymnesium parvum when grown under, and grazing on prey of, variable nitrogen : Phosphorus stoichiometry

Lundgren, Veronica M. ; Glibert, Patricia M. ; Granéli, Edna LU ; Vidyarathna, Nayani K. ; Fiori, Emanuela ; Ou, Linjian ; Flynn, Kevin J. ; Mitra, Aditee ; Stoecker, Diane K. and Hansen, Per J. (2016) In Harmful Algae 55. p.1-12
Abstract

Mixotrophy is found in almost all classes of phytoplankton in a wide range of aquatic habitats ranging from oligotrophic to eutrophic marine and freshwater systems. Few studies have addressed how the nutritional status of the predator and/or the prey affects mixotrophic metabolism despite the realization that mixotrophy is important ecologically. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine changes in growth rates and physiological states of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum when fed Rhodomonas salina of varying nutritional status. Haemolytic activity of P. parvum and prey mortality of R. salina were also measured. P. parvum cultures grown to be comparatively low in nitrogen (low-N), phosphorus (low-P) or low in both nutrients... (More)

Mixotrophy is found in almost all classes of phytoplankton in a wide range of aquatic habitats ranging from oligotrophic to eutrophic marine and freshwater systems. Few studies have addressed how the nutritional status of the predator and/or the prey affects mixotrophic metabolism despite the realization that mixotrophy is important ecologically. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine changes in growth rates and physiological states of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum when fed Rhodomonas salina of varying nutritional status. Haemolytic activity of P. parvum and prey mortality of R. salina were also measured. P. parvum cultures grown to be comparatively low in nitrogen (low-N), phosphorus (low-P) or low in both nutrients (low-NP) were mixed with low-NP, low-N, and low-P R. salina in all possible combinations, i.e., a 3 × 3 factorial design. N deficiency was obtained in the low-N cultures, while true P deficiency may not have been obtained in the low-P cultures. Mortality rates of R. salina (both due to ingestion and/or cell rupture as a function of grazing or toxic effects) were higher when R. salina cells were low-P, N-rich, regardless of the nutritional state of P. parvum. Mortality rates were, however, directly related to the initial prey:predator cell ratios. On the other hand, growth of the predator was a function of nutritional status and a significant positive correlation was observed between growth rates of P. parvum and cell-specific depletion rates of N, whereas no such relationship was found between P. parvum growth rates and depletion rates of P. In addition, the greatest changes in chlorophyll content and stoichiometric ratios of P. parvum were observed in high N:P conditions. Therefore, P. parvum may show enhanced success under conditions of higher inorganic N:P, which are likely favored in the future due to increases in eutrophication and altered nutrient stoichiometry driven by anthropogenic nutrient loads that are increasingly enriched in N relative to P.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Mixotrophy, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Prymnesium parvum, Variable stoichiometry
in
Harmful Algae
volume
55
pages
12 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84962162237
  • wos:000377323300001
  • pmid:28073523
ISSN
1568-9883
DOI
10.1016/j.hal.2016.01.002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
674de84b-1920-4302-9e07-e56746259995
date added to LUP
2016-05-10 10:04:31
date last changed
2024-02-02 14:26:35
@article{674de84b-1920-4302-9e07-e56746259995,
  abstract     = {{<p>Mixotrophy is found in almost all classes of phytoplankton in a wide range of aquatic habitats ranging from oligotrophic to eutrophic marine and freshwater systems. Few studies have addressed how the nutritional status of the predator and/or the prey affects mixotrophic metabolism despite the realization that mixotrophy is important ecologically. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine changes in growth rates and physiological states of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum when fed Rhodomonas salina of varying nutritional status. Haemolytic activity of P. parvum and prey mortality of R. salina were also measured. P. parvum cultures grown to be comparatively low in nitrogen (low-N), phosphorus (low-P) or low in both nutrients (low-NP) were mixed with low-NP, low-N, and low-P R. salina in all possible combinations, i.e., a 3 × 3 factorial design. N deficiency was obtained in the low-N cultures, while true P deficiency may not have been obtained in the low-P cultures. Mortality rates of R. salina (both due to ingestion and/or cell rupture as a function of grazing or toxic effects) were higher when R. salina cells were low-P, N-rich, regardless of the nutritional state of P. parvum. Mortality rates were, however, directly related to the initial prey:predator cell ratios. On the other hand, growth of the predator was a function of nutritional status and a significant positive correlation was observed between growth rates of P. parvum and cell-specific depletion rates of N, whereas no such relationship was found between P. parvum growth rates and depletion rates of P. In addition, the greatest changes in chlorophyll content and stoichiometric ratios of P. parvum were observed in high N:P conditions. Therefore, P. parvum may show enhanced success under conditions of higher inorganic N:P, which are likely favored in the future due to increases in eutrophication and altered nutrient stoichiometry driven by anthropogenic nutrient loads that are increasingly enriched in N relative to P.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lundgren, Veronica M. and Glibert, Patricia M. and Granéli, Edna and Vidyarathna, Nayani K. and Fiori, Emanuela and Ou, Linjian and Flynn, Kevin J. and Mitra, Aditee and Stoecker, Diane K. and Hansen, Per J.}},
  issn         = {{1568-9883}},
  keywords     = {{Mixotrophy; Nitrogen; Phosphorus; Prymnesium parvum; Variable stoichiometry}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  pages        = {{1--12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Harmful Algae}},
  title        = {{Metabolic and physiological changes in Prymnesium parvum when grown under, and grazing on prey of, variable nitrogen : Phosphorus stoichiometry}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2016.01.002}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.hal.2016.01.002}},
  volume       = {{55}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}