Groups without cultured representatives dominate eukaryotic picophytoplankton in the oligotrophic South East Pacific Ocean.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE) with a cell size less than 3 microm play a critical role in oceanic primary production. In recent years, the composition of marine picoeukaryote communities has been intensively investigated by molecular approaches, but their photosynthetic fraction remains poorly characterized. This is largely because the classical approach that relies on constructing 18S rRNA gene clone libraries from filtered seawater samples using universal eukaryotic primers is heavily biased toward heterotrophs, especially alveolates and stramenopiles, despite the fact that autotrophic cells in general outnumber heterotrophic ones in the euphotic zone.

Methodology/principal findings

In order to better assess the composition of the eukaryotic picophytoplank

SUBMITTER: Shi XL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2764088 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature