Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations
A substantial component of phytoplankton production in the oceans is channeled through protistan grazers but understanding what dictates the magnitude of this process on a regional and temporal basis is limited, in part, by a shortage of experimental options. A novel saturation approach based on the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.844620/full |
| _version_ | 1818271181360332800 |
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| author | Stephen D. Archer Laura C. Lubelczyk Moriah Kunes Moriah Kunes Kathryn McPhee Kathryn McPhee Walter Dawydiak Walter Dawydiak Michael Staiger Michael Staiger Kevin M. Posman Nicole J. Poulton |
| author_facet | Stephen D. Archer Laura C. Lubelczyk Moriah Kunes Moriah Kunes Kathryn McPhee Kathryn McPhee Walter Dawydiak Walter Dawydiak Michael Staiger Michael Staiger Kevin M. Posman Nicole J. Poulton |
| author_sort | Stephen D. Archer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A substantial component of phytoplankton production in the oceans is channeled through protistan grazers but understanding what dictates the magnitude of this process on a regional and temporal basis is limited, in part, by a shortage of experimental options. A novel saturation approach based on the functional response of planktonic grazers to increasing prey abundance was developed using laboratory cultures of the predator-prey combination of Ochromonas danica and Micromonas pusilla and tested in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine. In incubation series, 2 μm polystyrene microspheres were used as surrogate prey to generate increasing levels of saturation of predator ingestion rates of natural prey, resulting in increased rates of apparent growth of the picophytoplankton populations. The relationship between level of addition of surrogate prey to apparent growth, consistently provided significant estimates of maximal growth in the absence of grazing and grazing mortality for populations of picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus. Estimates of gross growth and grazing mortality were comparable to results from dilution experiments carried out in the same waters. The saturation approach represents an additional tool to investigate predator-prey interactions in planktonic communities. Further investigations may show that it can be used to quantify group-specific grazing mortality and growth rates beyond coastal waters and in multiple size classes of prey. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:22:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6813ee56c7374b9ab5d9ebfc1bc9b2f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:22:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6813ee56c7374b9ab5d9ebfc1bc9b2f82022-12-22T00:11:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-03-01910.3389/fmars.2022.844620844620Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus PopulationsStephen D. Archer0Laura C. Lubelczyk1Moriah Kunes2Moriah Kunes3Kathryn McPhee4Kathryn McPhee5Walter Dawydiak6Walter Dawydiak7Michael Staiger8Michael Staiger9Kevin M. Posman10Nicole J. Poulton11Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesDepartment of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesScripps College, Claremont, CA, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesSchool of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Southampton, NY, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesColby College, Waterville, ME, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesA substantial component of phytoplankton production in the oceans is channeled through protistan grazers but understanding what dictates the magnitude of this process on a regional and temporal basis is limited, in part, by a shortage of experimental options. A novel saturation approach based on the functional response of planktonic grazers to increasing prey abundance was developed using laboratory cultures of the predator-prey combination of Ochromonas danica and Micromonas pusilla and tested in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine. In incubation series, 2 μm polystyrene microspheres were used as surrogate prey to generate increasing levels of saturation of predator ingestion rates of natural prey, resulting in increased rates of apparent growth of the picophytoplankton populations. The relationship between level of addition of surrogate prey to apparent growth, consistently provided significant estimates of maximal growth in the absence of grazing and grazing mortality for populations of picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus. Estimates of gross growth and grazing mortality were comparable to results from dilution experiments carried out in the same waters. The saturation approach represents an additional tool to investigate predator-prey interactions in planktonic communities. Further investigations may show that it can be used to quantify group-specific grazing mortality and growth rates beyond coastal waters and in multiple size classes of prey.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.844620/fullsaturation approachgrazing rateSynechococcuspicoeukaryotemicrozooplankton |
| spellingShingle | Stephen D. Archer Laura C. Lubelczyk Moriah Kunes Moriah Kunes Kathryn McPhee Kathryn McPhee Walter Dawydiak Walter Dawydiak Michael Staiger Michael Staiger Kevin M. Posman Nicole J. Poulton Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations Frontiers in Marine Science saturation approach grazing rate Synechococcus picoeukaryote microzooplankton |
| title | Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations |
| title_full | Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations |
| title_fullStr | Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations |
| title_short | Saturation Approach to Determine Grazing Mortality in Picoeukaryote and Synechococcus Populations |
| title_sort | saturation approach to determine grazing mortality in picoeukaryote and synechococcus populations |
| topic | saturation approach grazing rate Synechococcus picoeukaryote microzooplankton |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.844620/full |
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