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Related Experiment Videos

Sulfolipids dramatically decrease phosphorus demand by picocyanobacteria in oligotrophic marine environments.

Benjamin A S Van Mooy1, Gabrielle Rocap, Helen F Fredricks

  • 1Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS #4, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. bvanmooy@whoi.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 30, 2006
PubMed
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Picocyanobacteria like Prochlorococcus in ocean gyres use sulfur lipids instead of phosphorus lipids. This "sulfur-for-phosphorus" strategy helps them thrive by conserving scarce phosphate resources.

Area of Science:

  • Marine microbiology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Oceanography

Background:

  • Dissolved phosphorus limits planktonic production in ocean subtropical gyres.
  • Quantitative data on phosphorus biochemical fate in planktonic communities is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the biochemical fate of phosphate (PO4(3-)) in planktonic communities of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG).
  • Determine the role of Prochlorococcus's lipid synthesis in phosphate uptake and competition.

Main Methods:

  • Measured phosphate uptake and incorporation into lipids by planktonic communities in the NPSG.
  • Utilized axenic Prochlorococcus cultures to assess lipid synthesis pathways.
  • Employed liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify and quantify planktonic lipids.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed environmental genomic data for sulfolipid synthesis genes.

    • Main Results:

    • Membrane lipid synthesis accounted for 18-28% of total phosphate uptake in the NPSG.
    • Prochlorococcus incorporated <1% of phosphate into membrane lipids, synthesizing sulfur-containing lipids (SQDG) instead.
    • SQDG was identified as the dominant membrane lipid in NPSG plankton.
    • Sulfolipid synthesis genes were primarily found in picocyanobacteria, not heterotrophic bacteria.

    Conclusions:

    • Prochlorococcus's "sulfur-for-phosphorus" strategy provides a competitive advantage for phosphate acquisition in oligotrophic environments.
    • This adaptation is crucial for the success of picocyanobacteria in nutrient-poor ocean regions.
    • The evolution of this strategy may have been significant in early Earth's history with different sulfate and phosphate availabilities.