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Abstract Eukaryotic microalgae play critical roles in the structure and function of marine food webs. The contribution of microalgae to food webs can be tracked using compound‐specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA‐AA). Previous CSIA‐AA studies have defined eukaryotic microalgae as a single functional group in food web mixing models, despite their vast taxonomic and ecological diversity. Using controlled cultures, this work characterizes the amino acidδ13C (δ13CAA) fingerprints—a multivariate metric of amino acid carbon isotope values—of four major groups of eukaryotic microalgae: diatoms, dinoflagellates, raphidophytes, and prasinophytes. We found excellent separation of essential amino acidδ13C (δ13CEAA) fingerprints among four microalgal groups (mean posterior probability reclassification of 99.2 ± 2.9%). We also quantified temperature effects, a primary driver of microalgal bulk carbon isotope variability, on the fidelity ofδ13CAAfingerprints. A 10°C range in temperature conditions did not have significant impacts on variance inδ13CAAvalues or the diagnostic microalgalδ13CEAAfingerprints. Theseδ13CEAAfingerprints were used to identify primary producers at the base of food webs supporting consumers in two contrasting systems: (1) penguins feeding in a diatom‐based food web and (2) mixotrophic corals receiving amino acids directly from autotrophic endosymbiotic dinoflagellates and indirectly from water column diatoms, prasinophytes, and cyanobacteria, likely via heterotrophic feeding on zooplankton. The increased taxonomic specificity of CSIA‐AA fingerprints developed here will greatly improve future efforts to reconstruct the contribution of diverse eukaryotic microalgae to the sources and cycling of organic matter in food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling studies.
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This content will become publicly available on July 1, 2026
Physiology and metabolism of eukaryotic microalgae involved in aquatic photosymbioses
Summary Symbiosis between eukaryotic microalgae and heterotrophic hosts is a widespread, phylogenetically convergent, and ecologically important phenomenon in aquatic ecosystems. Partners include taxonomically diverse microalgae interacting with multicellular or unicellular hosts in marine or freshwater environments. While progress has been made recently, there are still major knowledge gaps on the microenvironmental conditions of microalgaein hospite(e.g. nutrient and CO2availability), the algal carbon metabolism (production and storage), and the cellular mechanisms of carbohydrate export to the host. This review aims to provide current knowledge on the physiology and metabolism of symbiotic microalgae, to highlight whether there are commonalities across different photosymbioses, and to identify new approaches and technologies for disentangling photosymbiotic interactions at relevant temporal and spatial scales.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2316391
- PAR ID:
- 10620779
- Publisher / Repository:
- New Phytologist
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- New Phytologist
- Volume:
- 247
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0028-646X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 71 to 89
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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