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Area of Science:

  • Marine microbial ecology
  • Aquatic microbial ecology
  • Phycology

Background:

  • Mixotrophs, organisms using both photosynthesis and phagotrophy, possess a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments.
  • The advantage of mixotrophy is light-dependent, suggesting light regulates interactions between mixotrophic and heterotrophic bacterivores.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how light intensity affects the competition between mixotrophic and heterotrophic bacterivores in ultra-oligotrophic aquatic ecosystems.
  • To determine if light mediates the top-down control of heterotrophic bacteria by mixotrophic bacterivores.

Main Methods:

  • Incubation of natural plankton from the Eastern Mediterranean in mesocosms under a 10-fold light gradient (4 levels).
  • Monitoring of picoplankton populations, including heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, and flagellates.
  • Analysis of bacterial growth rates and abundances in relation to light levels and predator populations.

Main Results:

  • Picoplankton communities, especially heterotrophic bacteria, showed significant responses to light, with predator-prey cycles most pronounced under high light.
  • Heterotrophic bacterial abundances decreased with increasing light intensity.
  • Light-induced top-down control of heterotrophic bacteria by bacterivorous phototrophic eukaryotes was confirmed.

Conclusions:

  • Light intensity is a key factor regulating the ecological role of mixotrophic bacterivores in aquatic food webs.
  • Light-mediated interactions between mixotrophs and heterotrophs have significant implications for nutrient cycling in oligotrophic environments.