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Cellular costs underpin micronutrient limitation in phytoplankton
J Scott P McCain1,2, Alessandro Tagliabue3, Edward Susko2,4
1Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. j.scott.mccain@dal.ca a.tagliabue@liverpool.ac.uk erin.bertrand@dal.ca.
Science Advances
|August 7, 2021
Summary
Cellular costs of acquiring and using micronutrients explain phytoplankton growth limitation and interdependence. This study reveals how these costs affect ocean carbon export and fisheries.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Biogeochemistry
- Proteomics
Background:
- Micronutrients are essential for phytoplankton growth, impacting ocean carbon export and fisheries.
- The cellular mechanisms behind micronutrient limitation and interdependence remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how micronutrient scarcity affects cellular processes in phytoplankton.
- To elucidate the origins of interdependence among micronutrients at the cellular level.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mechanistic proteomic allocation model for a polar diatom, focusing on iron and manganese.
- Integrated the model with metaproteomic and environmental data.
- Quantified cellular costs associated with micronutrient acquisition and utilization.
Main Results:
- Cumulative cellular costs of micronutrient acquisition and use are the primary drivers of growth limitation and interdependence.
- Cellular processes fundamentally underpin micronutrient limitation and exhibit compensatory interactions.
- Developed a novel approach for estimating biogeochemical metrics, including taxon-specific growth rates.
Conclusions:
- Cellular costs dictate how environmental conditions influence phytoplankton growth.
- Understanding these costs is crucial for predicting ocean productivity and carbon cycling.
- The study provides a framework for linking cellular physiology to biogeochemical processes.
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