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El fitoplancton en el océano utiliza lípidos no fósforados en respuesta a la escasez de fósforo
Benjamin A S Van Mooy1, Helen F Fredricks, Byron E Pedler
1Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA. bvanmooy@whoi.edu
Nature
|February 3, 2009
Resumen
El fitoplancton en las aguas oceánicas con bajo contenido de fósforo sustituye los lípidos no fósforados por los fosfolípidos. Esta adaptación les permite mantener el crecimiento, a diferencia de las bacterias, al reducir sus necesidades celulares de fósforo.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Biología marina Biología marina.
- La bioquímica es la bioquímica.
- Oceanografía La oceanografía es la oceanografía.
Sus antecedentes:
- El fósforo es esencial para toda la vida, y el plancton marino lo almacena en ácidos nucleicos y fosfolípidos.
- El fitoplancton puede reducir el contenido de fósforo celular en entornos escasos, pero los mecanismos son poco conocidos.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Investigar los mecanismos bioquímicos que el fitoplancton utiliza para adaptarse a entornos con bajo contenido de fósforo.
- Para determinar si el fitoplancton sustituye los lípidos de la membrana para conservar el fósforo.
Principales métodos:
- Comparación del contenido de lípidos fosfolípidos y no fosfóricos en el fitoplancton de las regiones oceánicas ricas en fósforo y pobres en fósforo.
- Analizar la composición lipídica en cultivos de fitoplancton bajo condiciones limitadas de fósforo.
- Comparación de los perfiles lipídicos del fitoplancton y las bacterias heterotróficas marinas.
Principales resultados:
- El fitoplancton en los océanos limitados en fósforo (Mar de los Sargazos) utilizó significativamente menos fosfato para la síntesis de fosfolípidos en comparación con las áreas ricas en fósforo (Pacífico Sur).
- Los lípidos que no contienen fósforo, azufre y nitrógeno fueron más abundantes en el fitoplancton limitado en fósforo.
- Estos lípidos sustitutos dominaron en los cultivos de fitoplancton limitados en fósforo, mientras que las bacterias usaron exclusivamente fosfolípidos.
Conclusiones:
- El fitoplancton reduce la demanda de fósforo al sustituir los fosfolípidos por lípidos no fósforados.
- Esta sustitución lipídica es una adaptación clave que permite el crecimiento del fitoplancton en entornos marinos limitados en fósforo.
- La capacidad del fitoplancton para usar lípidos sustitutos los diferencia de las bacterias heterotróficas, lo que afecta la competencia de nutrientes en los océanos oligotróficos.
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