Amino acid uptake of Prochlorococcus spp. in surface waters across the South Atlantic Subtropical Front

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that surface-living Prochlorococcus spp. (Pro) cyanobacteria metabolism declines towards the boundaries of its natural habitat, a latitudinal transect of surface waters was sampled from the centre of the Southern Atlantic Gyre (SAG, 20 to 35° S) to the South Subtropical Frontal Zone (SSFZ, 35 to 45° S). Along this transect, amino acid uptake rates of Pro, Synechococcus spp. (Syn) and an average bacterioplankton cell were determined using 35S-methionine precursor and flow-cytometry sorting, with methionine uptake rate as an index of cellular metabolic activity. Methionine and possibly other amino acids were a very minor nutrient source for Syn, while their contribution to Pro production was significant. Contrary to expectations, the mean methionine uptake rate per Pro cell in the SSFZ was about 3 times higher than in the SAG. The uptake rates per unit Pro biomass were equal to or higher than that of an average bacterioplankton cell in both the SAG and SSFZ. About 20 and 5% of total bacterioplankton consumption of amino acids could be assigned to Pro in the SAG and SSFZ, respectively. Methionine and leucine turnover rates were 3.5 and 3 times higher in the SSFZ than in the SAG, respectively. These results suggest that Pro remained highly metabolically active and acquired more methionine at its habitat boundaries, despite higher rates of bacterioplankton activity and therefore greater competition, as well as exposure to deep water mixing, low light and low temperature conditions.