Feeding in mixoplankton enhances phototrophy increasing bloom-induced pH changes with ocean acidification.

ABSTRACT: Plankton phototrophy consumes CO₂, increasing seawater pH, while heterotrophy does the converse. Elevation of pH (>8.5) during coastal blooms becomes increasingly deleterious for plankton. Mixoplankton, which can be important bloom-formers, engage in both photoautotrophy and phagoheterotrophy; in theory, this activity could create a relatively stable pH environment for plankton growth. Using a systems biology modelling approach, we explored whether different mixoplankton functional groups could modulate the environmental pH compared to the extreme activities of phototrophic phytoplankton and heterotrophic zooplankton. Activities by most mixoplankton groups do not stabilize seawater pH. Through access to additional nutrient streams from internal recycling with phagotrophy, mixopl

SUBMITTER: Flynn KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10361812 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul-Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature