Spatiotemporal Variations in Antarctic Protistan Communities Highlight Phytoplankton Diversity and Seasonal Dominance by a Novel Cryptophyte Lineage.

ABSTRACT: The Andvord fjord in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is known for its productivity and abundant megafauna. Nevertheless, seasonal patterns of the molecular diversity and abundance of protistan community members underpinning WAP productivity remain poorly resolved. We performed spring and fall expeditions pursuing protistan diversity, abundance of photosynthetic taxa, and the connection to changing conditions. 18S rRNA amplicon sequence variant (ASV) profiles revealed diverse predatory protists spanning multiple eukaryotic supergroups, alongside enigmatic heterotrophs like the Picozoa. Among photosynthetic protists, cryptophyte contributions were notable. Analysis of plastid-derived 16S rRNA ASVs supported 18S ASV results, including a dichotomy between cryptophytes and diatom contributio

SUBMITTER: Hamilton M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8669470 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature