Niche of harmful alga Aureococcus anophagefferens revealed through ecogenomics.
نویسندگان
چکیده
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) cause significant economic and ecological damage worldwide. Despite considerable efforts, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that promote these blooms has been lacking, because the biochemical pathways that facilitate their dominance relative to other phytoplankton within specific environments have not been identified. Here, biogeochemical measurements showed that the harmful alga Aureococcus anophagefferens outcompeted co-occurring phytoplankton in estuaries with elevated levels of dissolved organic matter and turbidity and low levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. We subsequently sequenced the genome of A. anophagefferens and compared its gene complement with those of six competing phytoplankton species identified through metaproteomics. Using an ecogenomic approach, we specifically focused on gene sets that may facilitate dominance within the environmental conditions present during blooms. A. anophagefferens possesses a larger genome (56 Mbp) and has more genes involved in light harvesting, organic carbon and nitrogen use, and encoding selenium- and metal-requiring enzymes than competing phytoplankton. Genes for the synthesis of microbial deterrents likely permit the proliferation of this species, with reduced mortality losses during blooms. Collectively, these findings suggest that anthropogenic activities resulting in elevated levels of turbidity, organic matter, and metals have opened a niche within coastal ecosystems that ideally suits the unique genetic capacity of A. anophagefferens and thus, has facilitated the proliferation of this and potentially other HABs.
منابع مشابه
A Brown Tide Bloom Index based on the potential harmful effects of the brown tide alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens
effects of the brown tide alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens Mary Downes Gastrich1¤ and Catherine E. Wazniak2 1New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology, Trenton, New Jersey, USA 2Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, Maryland, USA *Corresponding author: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Re...
متن کاملFeeding behavior and development of Acartia tonsa nauplii on the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens
Toxic attributes of the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens affect the ability of benthic and protistan grazers to control blooms. Yet, little is known regarding the effect of A. anophagefferens on a dominant component of the microzooplankton community, copepod nauplii. This study describes the grazer–prey relationship between nauplii of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa and A. anophag...
متن کاملTransport of the harmful bloom alga Aureococcus anophagefferens by oceangoing ships and coastal boats.
It is well established that cyst-forming phytoplankton species are transported in ships' ballast tanks. However, there is increasing evidence that other phytoplankton species which do not encyst are also capable of surviving ballast transit. These species have alternative modes of nutrition (hetero- or mixotrophy) and/or are able to survive long-term darkness. In our studies of no-ballast-on-bo...
متن کاملDevelopment and application of a monoclonal-antibody technique for counting Aureococcus anophagefferens, an alga causing recurrent brown tides in the Mid-Atlantic United States.
A method was developed for the rapid detection and enumeration of Aureococcus anophagefferens, the cause of harmful algal blooms called "brown tides" in estuaries of the Mid-Atlantic United States. The method employs a monoclonal antibody (MAb) and a colorimetric, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay format. The MAb obtained exhibits high reactivity with A. anophagefferens and very low cross-react...
متن کاملTranscriptomic analyses of nitrogen assimilation processes in a Chinese strain of Aureococcus anophagefferens
Aureococcus anophagefferens is a harmful alga that dominates plankton communities during brown tides in North America, Africa, and Asia. In order to figure out the processes of nitrogen assimilation in a Chinese strain of A. anophagefferens, RNA-seq technology was used to examine transcriptomic differences in A. anophagefferens that was grown on urea, nitrate, or a mixture of urea and nitrate, ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
دوره 108 11 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2011