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ABSTRACT Snow algae can form large-scale blooms across the snowpack surface and near-surface environments. These pigmented blooms can decrease snow albedo and increase local melt rates, and they may impact the global heat budget and water cycle. Yet, the underlying causes for the geospatial occurrence of these blooms remain unconstrained. One possible factor contributing to snow algal blooms is the presence of mineral dust as a micronutrient source. We investigated the bioavailability of iron (Fe)-bearing minerals, including forsterite (Fo 90 , Mg 1.8 Fe 0.2 SiO 4 ), goethite, smectite, and pyrite as Fe sources for a Chloromonas brevispina -bacterial coculture through laboratory-based experimentation. Fo 90 was capable of stimulating snow algal growth and increased the algal growth rate in otherwise Fe-depleted cocultures. Fo 90 -bearing systems also exhibited a decrease in the ratio of bacteria to algae compared to those of Fe-depleted conditions, suggesting a shift in microbial community structure. The C. brevispina coculture also increased the rate of Fo 90 dissolution relative to that of an abiotic control. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes in the coculture identified Gammaproteobacteria , Betaproteobacteria , and Sphingobacteria , all of which are commonly found in snow and ice environments. Archaea were not detected. Collimonas and Pseudomonas , which are known to enhance mineral weathering rates, comprised two of the top eight (>1%) operational taxonomic units (OTUs). These data provide unequivocal evidence that mineral dust can support elevated snow algal growth under otherwise Fe-depleted growth conditions and that snow algal microbial communities can enhance mineral dissolution under these conditions. IMPORTANCE Fe, a key micronutrient for photosynthetic growth, is necessary to support the formation of high-density snow algal blooms. The laboratory experiments described herein allow for a systematic investigation of the interactions of snow algae, bacteria, and minerals and their ability to mobilize and uptake mineral-bound Fe. Results provide unequivocal and comprehensive evidence that mineral-bound Fe in Fe-bearing Fo 90 was bioavailable to Chloromonas brevispina snow algae within an algal-bacterial coculture. This evidence includes (i) an observed increase in snow algal density and growth rate, (ii) decreased ratios of bacteria to algae in Fo 90 -containing cultures relative to those of cultures grown under similarly Fe-depleted conditions with no mineral-bound Fe present, and (iii) increased Fo 90 dissolution rates in the presence of algal-bacterial cocultures relative to those of abiotic mineral controls. These results have important implications for the role of mineral dust in supplying micronutrients to the snow microbiome, which may help support dense snow algal blooms capable of lowering snow albedo and increasing snow melt rates on regional, and possibly global, scales.
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Laboratory Experiments Suggest a Limited Impact of Increased Nitrogen Deposition on Snow Algae Blooms
ABSTRACT Snow algal blooms decrease snow albedo and increase local melt rates. However, the causes behind the size and frequency of these blooms are still not well understood. One factor likely contributing is nutrient availability, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. The nutrient requirements of the taxa responsible for these blooms are not known. Here, we assessed the growth of three commercial strains of snow algae under 24 different nutrient treatments that varied in both absolute and relative concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. After 38 days of incubation, we measured total biomass and cell size and estimated their effective albedo reduction surface. Snow algal strains tended to respond similarly and achieved bloom‐like cell densities over a wide range of nutrient conditions. However, the molar ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus at which maximum biomass was achieved was between 4 and 7. Our data indicate a high requirement for phosphorus for snow algae and highlights phosphorus availability as a critical factor influencing the frequency and extent of snow algae blooms and their potential contribution to snow melt through altered albedo. Snow algae can thrive across a range of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) conditions, with a higher P requirement for optimal growth. Our study suggests that increased N deposition may have a limited impact on snow algae bloom occurrence and size, emphasising P as a key factor influencing these blooms and their potential to accelerate snow melt by lowering albedo.
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- PAR ID:
- 10557401
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Environmental Microbiology Reports
- Volume:
- 16
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1758-2229
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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