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Prey removal incubations were conducted in the Argo Basin (eastern Indian Ocean) to investigate the trophic ecology of the zooplankton community supporting Southern Bluefin Tuna larvae. Copepod grazing and selectivity were evaluated considering prey trophic mode and size as food quality descriptors and compared with microzooplankton grazing. Copepods ingested between 3.4 and 138 ng carbon (C) ind−1 d−1. Diet was dominated by mixotrophic (5–89 %) and heterotrophic (0–84 %) prey, with autotrophs contributing 2–17 %. Nanoplankton provided the highest C intake to copepods (62–99 %) versus picoplankton (0.8–38 %), despite more picoplankton cells ingested. No measurable reduction in chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration occurred from copepod grazing through food removal, suggesting an indirect trophic pathway, although gut content revealed ingestion of 0.8 μg Chla ind−1 d−1. Calculations from disappearance incubations imply copepod selection on picoplankton (E = 0.3) over nanoplankton, but picoplankton were likely ingested as aggregates or depressed due to a trophic cascade of copepods ingesting nano-microzooplankton. Copepods ingested protistan consumers and/or metazoans fed on 15N-cyanobacteria with ~5-fold higher N uptake from 1 to 2 μm 15N-Synechococcus than from <1 μm 15NProchlorococcus. Microzooplankton grazing on eukaryotes (0.07–2.5 d−1) and prokaryotes (0.3–2.1 d−1) greatly exceeded copepod grazing. Microzooplankton diet consisted mostly of heterotrophs (25–59 %) and mixotrophs (13–41 %) followed by autotrophs (12–33 %), with more nano- (95–98 %) than picophytoplankton (2–5 %). Overall, microzooplankton removed most daily production (111 %) in contrast to 7 % for copepods. Our findings indicate that mixotrophy, intraguild grazing and nutrient channeling support the food web in this oligotrophic region.
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Low rates of bacterivory enhances phototrophy and competitive advantage for mixoplankton growing in oligotrophic waters
Abstract With climate change, oceans are becoming increasingly nutrient limited, favouring growth of prokaryotic picoplankton at the expense of the larger protist plankton whose growth support higher trophic levels. Constitutive mixoplankton (CM), microalgal plankton with innate phototrophic capability coupled with phagotrophy, graze on these picoplankton, indirectly exploiting the excellent resource acquisition abilities of the prokaryotes. However, feeding rates can be very low (e.g., a few bacteria d −1 ). For the first time, the significance of such low consumption rates has been quantified. We find that while prokaryote-carbon (C) supply to CM grown at non-limiting light was so low that it may appear insignificant (< 10%), contributions of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from ingestions of 1–12 prokaryotes d −1 were significant. Under limiting light, contributions of ingested C increased, also raising the contributions of N and P. The order of nutritional importance for CM growth from predation was P > N > C. Further, provision of N through internal recycling of ingested prey-N stimulates C-fixation through photosynthesis. Importantly, coupled photo-phago-mixoplanktonic activity improved CM resource affinities for both inorganic and prey-bound nutrients, enhancing the nutritional status and competitiveness of mixoplankton. With warming oceans, with increased prokaryote abundance, we expect CM to exhibit more phagotrophy.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2140395
- PAR ID:
- 10423699
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2045-2322
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33962-x
