Alpha-glucans from bacterial necromass indicate an intra-population loop within the marine carbon cycle.

ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton blooms provoke bacterioplankton blooms, from which bacterial biomass (necromass) is released via increased zooplankton grazing and viral lysis. While bacterial consumption of algal biomass during blooms is well-studied, little is known about the concurrent recycling of these substantial amounts of bacterial necromass. We demonstrate that bacterial biomass, such as bacterial alpha-glucan storage polysaccharides, generated from the consumption of algal organic matter, is reused and thus itself a major bacterial carbon source in vitro and during a diatom-dominated bloom. We highlight conserved enzymes and binding proteins of dominant bloom-responder clades that are presumably involved in the recycling of bacterial alpha-glucan by members of the bacterial community. We furthermor

SUBMITTER: Beidler I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11093988 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature