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Dimorphism in cryptophytes—The case of Teleaulax amphioxeia/Plagioselmis prolonga and its ecological implications

Altenburger, A. ; Blossom, H. E. LU ; Garcia-Cuetos, L. ; Jakobsen, H. H. ; Carstensen, J. ; Lundholm, N. ; Hansen, P. J. ; Moestrup and Haraguchi, L. (2020) In Science Advances 6(37).
Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that sexual reproduction might be common in unicellular organisms, but observations are sparse. Limited knowledge of sexual reproduction constrains understanding of protist ecology. Although Teleaulax amphioxeia and Plagioselmis prolonga are common marine cryptophytes worldwide, and are also important plastid donors for some kleptoplastic ciliates and dinoflagellates, the ecology and development of these protists are poorly known. We demonstrate that P. prolonga is the haploid form of the diploid T. amphioxeia and describe the seasonal dynamics of these two life stages. The diploid T. amphioxeia dominates during periods of high dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and low irradiance, temperature, and grazing... (More)

Growing evidence suggests that sexual reproduction might be common in unicellular organisms, but observations are sparse. Limited knowledge of sexual reproduction constrains understanding of protist ecology. Although Teleaulax amphioxeia and Plagioselmis prolonga are common marine cryptophytes worldwide, and are also important plastid donors for some kleptoplastic ciliates and dinoflagellates, the ecology and development of these protists are poorly known. We demonstrate that P. prolonga is the haploid form of the diploid T. amphioxeia and describe the seasonal dynamics of these two life stages. The diploid T. amphioxeia dominates during periods of high dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and low irradiance, temperature, and grazing (winter and early spring), whereas the haploid P. prolonga becomes more abundant during the summer, when DIN is low and irradiance, temperature, and grazing are high. Dimorphic sexual life cycles might explain the success of this species by fostering high genetic diversity and enabling endurance in adverse conditions.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science Advances
volume
6
issue
37
article number
eabb1611
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85090900715
  • pmid:32917704
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.abb1611
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
97e7d192-4ef0-4c5d-aaa7-401c38e06f18
date added to LUP
2020-10-12 09:00:06
date last changed
2024-06-12 21:50:56
@article{97e7d192-4ef0-4c5d-aaa7-401c38e06f18,
  abstract     = {{<p>Growing evidence suggests that sexual reproduction might be common in unicellular organisms, but observations are sparse. Limited knowledge of sexual reproduction constrains understanding of protist ecology. Although Teleaulax amphioxeia and Plagioselmis prolonga are common marine cryptophytes worldwide, and are also important plastid donors for some kleptoplastic ciliates and dinoflagellates, the ecology and development of these protists are poorly known. We demonstrate that P. prolonga is the haploid form of the diploid T. amphioxeia and describe the seasonal dynamics of these two life stages. The diploid T. amphioxeia dominates during periods of high dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and low irradiance, temperature, and grazing (winter and early spring), whereas the haploid P. prolonga becomes more abundant during the summer, when DIN is low and irradiance, temperature, and grazing are high. Dimorphic sexual life cycles might explain the success of this species by fostering high genetic diversity and enabling endurance in adverse conditions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Altenburger, A. and Blossom, H. E. and Garcia-Cuetos, L. and Jakobsen, H. H. and Carstensen, J. and Lundholm, N. and Hansen, P. J. and Moestrup and Haraguchi, L.}},
  issn         = {{2375-2548}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{37}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science Advances}},
  title        = {{Dimorphism in cryptophytes—The case of Teleaulax amphioxeia/Plagioselmis prolonga and its ecological implications}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb1611}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/sciadv.abb1611}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}