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Divergence in resource acquisition strategies and drivers of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus abundance in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean

ABSTRACT: Surface waters of the vast subtropical ocean gyres are poor in nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). Ocean warming is predicted to intensify and expand these low nutrient gyres, but we have limited knowledge on how natural assemblages of marine microbes acquire nutrients. While detecting regions where the lack of N and/or Fe limits biological activity appears straightforward, it is problematic for P due to divergent results from different approaches used. Using natural zonal gradients in nutrient resources and biological activity, we investigated the nutrient acquisition strategies of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, with a specific focus on phosphorus since Fe and Zn may constrain the activity of the metalloenzyme, alkaline phosphatase, used by microbes to access dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) when phosphate is scarce. Analyses of proteins indicative of nutrient acquisition and stress, termed ‘biomarkers’ alongside high-resolution biogeochemical measurements and nutrient bioassays concur on more intense phosphorus limitation in the western compared to the eastern subtropical Atlantic. However, we found sparse evidence of trace metal control of alkaline phosphatase by Fe or Zn or cobalt. Instead, zonal gradients as well as the bioassays involving the addition of Fe, Zn and DOP stimulated different responses in protein production in Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, implying these picocyanobacteria may have different biomarkers indicative of nutrient stress, which has implications for the interpretation of trends in protein, as well as different strategies to acquire essential nutrients. The divergence in acquisition strategies alongside the asynchronous zonal gradients in Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus in the subtropical North Atlantic are likely driven by other processes such as nitrogen fixation, atmospheric and upwelled delivery of nutrients and competition for resources.

INSTRUMENT(S):

ORGANISM(S): Prochlorococcus Synechococcus Sp. Wh 8011 Sar11 Cluster Bacterium Enrichment Culture Clone Pshtc-005

SUBMITTER: Noelle Held

LAB HEAD: Noelle Held

PROVIDER: PXD054252 | Pride | 2025-12-10

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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			Action	DRS
	171214_NAH_ziploc_40m_1x_seconddigest_2C.raw	Raw
	171214_NAH_ziploc_40m_1x_seconddigest_3A.raw	Raw
	171214_NAH_ziploc_40m_1x_seconddigest_4A.raw	Raw
	171214_NAH_ziploc_40m_1x_seconddigest_5A.raw	Raw
	171214_NAH_ziploc_40m_1x_seconddigest_5D.raw	Raw

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Project description:Microbial enzymes alter marine biogeochemical cycles by catalyzing chemical transformations that bring elements into and out of particulate organic pools. These processes are traditionally studied through enzyme rate-based estimates and nutrient-amendment bioassays, but these approaches lack the ability to resolve species-level contributions to enzymatic rates. Molecular methods including proteomics have the potential to link the contributions of specific populations to the overall community enzymatic rate; this is important because organisms will have distinct enzyme characteristics, feedbacks, and responses to perturbations. Integrating molecular methods with rate measurements can be achieved quantitatively through absolute quantitative proteomics. Here, we use the subtropical North Atlantic as a model system to probe how absolute quantitative proteomics can provide a more comprehensive understanding of nutrient limitation in marine environments. The experimental system is characterized by phosphorus stress and potential metal-phosphorus co-limitation due to dependence of the organic phosphorus scavenging enzyme alkaline phosphatase on metal cofactors; we performed nutrient amendment incubation experiments to investigate how alkaline phosphatase abundance and activity is affected by trace metal additions. We show that the two most abundant picocyanobacteria, Prochlorocccus and Synechococcus are minor contributors to total alkaline phosphatase activity as assessed by a widely used enzyme assay. This was true even when trace metals were added, despite both species having the genetic potential to utilize both the Fe and Zn containing enzymes, PhoX and PhoA respectively. Serendipitously, we also found that the alkaline phosphatases responded to cobalt additions suggesting possible substitution of the metal center by Co in natural populations of Prochloroccocus (substitution for Fe in PhoX) and Synechococcus (substitution for Zn in PhoA). This integrated approach allows for a nuanced interpretation of how nutrient limitation affects marine biogeochemical cycles and highlights the benefit of building quantitative connections between rate and “-omics” based measurements.

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Divergence in resource acquisition strategies and drivers of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus abundance in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean

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