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Modeling Unveils How Kleptoplastidy Affects Mixotrophy Boosting Algal Blooms
Irena V Telesh1, Gregory J Rodin2, Hendrik Schubert3
1Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Biology
|July 29, 2025
Summary
Kleptoplastidy, a feeding strategy, enhances protist mixotrophy and boosts algae growth, contributing to harmful algae blooms (HABs). A new model and index quantify this effect, aiding HAB management.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Algology
- Ecological modeling
Background:
- Kleptoplastidy is a nutritional strategy where organisms utilize prey algae's chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
- This strategy is integral to mixotrophy, a feeding mode implicated in harmful algae blooms (HABs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mathematical model quantifying kleptoplastidy's role in enhancing protist mixotrophy.
- To introduce a novel ecological indicator, the kleptoplastidy index, for measuring this contribution.
Main Methods:
- Construction of a mathematical model based on theoretical experiments and biological time.
- Definition of the kleptoplastidy index as a function of photosynthetic production and feeding mode balance.
- Validation of the model using data from the dinoflagellate *Prorocentrum cordatum*.
Main Results:
- The model demonstrates that kleptoplastidy can significantly increase algal division rates by up to 40%.
- This enhanced growth promotes population expansion and contributes to the formation of harmful algae blooms.
- The kleptoplastidy index effectively quantifies the impact of this nutritional strategy.
Conclusions:
- Kleptoplastidy is a key mechanism for boosting mixotrophic protist growth and proliferation.
- The developed model and kleptoplastidy index offer valuable tools for ecological forecasting and management of HABs.
- Understanding kleptoplastidy is crucial for mitigating the ecological and economic impacts of HABs in marine environments.
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