Nutrient recycling facilitates long-term stability of marine microbial phototroph-heterotroph interactions.

ABSTRACT: Biological interactions underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems, be it via competition, predation, mutualism or symbiosis processes. Microbial phototroph-heterotroph interactions propel the engine that results in the biogeochemical cycling of individual elements, and they are critical for understanding and modelling global ocean processes. Unfortunately, studies thus far have focused on exponentially growing cultures in nutrient-rich media, meaning knowledge of such interactions under in situ conditions is rudimentary at best. Here, we have performed long-term phototroph-heterotroph co-culture experiments under nutrient-amended and natural seawater conditions, and show that it is not the concentration of nutrients but rather their circulation that maintains a stable interaction and a

SUBMITTER: Christie-Oleza JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5495174 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature