Microcystin shapes the Microcystis phycosphere through community filtering and by influencing cross-feeding interactions.

ABSTRACT: The cyanobacterium Microcystis causes harmful algal blooms that pose a major threat to human health and ecosystem services, particularly due to the prevalence of the potent hepatotoxin microcystin (MC). With their pronounced EPS layer, Microcystis colonies also serve as a hub for heterotrophic phycosphere bacteria. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the genotypic plasticity in its ability to produce MC influences the composition and assembly of the Microcystis phycosphere microbiome. In an analysis of individual colonies of a natural Microcystis bloom, we observed a significantly reduced richness of the community in the presence of MC biosynthesis genes. A subsequent synthetic community experiment with 21 heterotrophic bacterial strains in co-cultivation with e

SUBMITTER: Große R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11748430 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature