Contrasting biogeography and diversity patterns between diatoms and haptophytes in the central Pacific Ocean

Diatoms and haptophytes are two major phytoplankton groups, playing pivotal roles in global biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystems. In general, diatoms have higher growth rates than haptophytes, whereas haptophytes tend to have higher nutrient uptake affinity. However, precise linkages between their ecological traits and geographical distributions remain poorly understood. Herein, we examined the basin-scale variability of the abundance and taxonomic composition of these two phytoplankton groups across 35 sites in the Pacific Ocean using DNA metabarcoding. The diatom community was generally dominated by a few genera at each sample site, whereas the haptophyte community consisted of a large number of genera in most of the sites. The coexistence of various haptophyte genera might be achieved by diversification of their ecophysiological traits such as mixotrophy. On the other hand, the diatom community might experience greater inter-genus competition due to the rapid uptake of nutrients. Our data further supports the notion that their distinct ecological strategies underlie the emergence of contrasting diversity patterns of these phytoplankton groups in the central Pacific at a basin scale.