Microbial parasites make cyanobacteria blooms less of a trophic dead end than commonly assumed.

ABSTRACT: Parasites exist in every ecosystem and can have large influence on food web structure and function, yet, we know little about parasites' effect on food web dynamics. Here we investigate the role of microbial parasitism (viruses of bacteria, phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, and parasitic chytrids on cyanobacteria) on the dynamics of trophic pathways and food web functioning during a cyanobacteria bloom, using linear inverse food web modeling parameterized with a 2-month long data set (biomasses, infection parameters, etc.). We show the importance of grazing on heterotrophic bacteria (the microbial pathway: DOC → bacteria → consumer) and how consumers depended on bacteria during peak-cyanobacteria bloom, which abundance was partly driven by the viral activity. As bacteria become the main ene

SUBMITTER: Haraldsson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5864164 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature