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Updated: Jan 22, 2026
10:49
Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
17.8K
Copepod nauplii use phosphorus from bacteria, creating a short circuit in the microbial loop
Carolyn Faithfull1,2, Erica Goetze2
1Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Ecology Letters
|July 5, 2019
Summary
Marine copepod nauplii meet high phosphorus needs by consuming bacteria, crucial for survival in nutrient-poor subtropical oceans. This microbial pathway supports the classical food web.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbial ecology
- Zooplankton nutrition
- Biogeochemical cycling
Background:
- Subtropical oceans exhibit high phytoplankton carbon:phosphorus (C:P) ratios, expected to rise with warming and stratification.
- Copepod zooplankton nauplii require substantial phosphorus for rapid growth, potentially unmet by high C:P phytoplankton.
- This study investigates naupliar feeding strategies to meet phosphorus demands.
Discussion:
- Nauplii efficiently assimilated phosphorus from both bacteria and phytoplankton.
- Bacterial carbon assimilation was less efficient than phytoplankton carbon.
- Bacteria provide a significant source of phosphorus, supporting naupliar growth under oligotrophic conditions.
Key Insights:
- Nauplii can meet substantial phosphorus requirements by consuming bacteria.
- Bacterial phosphorus is incorporated with similar efficiency to phytoplankton phosphorus.
- This microbial pathway acts as a vital nutrient shortcut to the classical food web.
Outlook:
- Bacteria play a critical role in sustaining zooplankton survival in changing ocean conditions.
- Understanding microbial loop contributions is essential for predicting food web dynamics.
- Further research on nutrient transfer in oligotrophic environments is warranted.
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