Coexistence of algae and bacteria: a test of the carbon hypothesis

Abstract

AME Aquatic Microbial Ecology Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials AME 53:323-332 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01254 Coexistence of algae and bacteria: a test of the carbon hypothesis Tanguy Daufresne1,*, Gerard Lacroix2, David Benhaim3, Michel Loreau4 1INRA, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Behavior (CEFS), Chemin de Borde Rouge, BP 52627, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France 2UMR 7618, Bioemco, Biogeochimie et écologie des milieux continentaux, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75230 Paris Cedex 05, France 3Intechmer, Digue de Collignon, BP 324, 50103 Cherbourg Cedex, France 4McGill University, Department of Biology, 1205 avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada *Email: tanguy.daufresne@toulouse.inra.fr ABSTRACT: The competition between algae and aquatic bacteria for inorganic nutrients puts some constraints on the coexistence of these 2 essential groups in the water column. Based on competition and stoichiometry theories the carbon hypothesis states that, since bacteria are better competitors for nutrients, they may drive themselves to carbon (C)-limitation, so coexistence would naturally arise between nutrient-limited algae and C-limited bacteria. We tested the carbon hypothesis in 24 closed aquatic microcosms with 4 different artificial media inoculated with an alga (Scenedesmus obliquus) and a natural bacterial community. We monitored algal and bacterial growth, coexistence over time, and the limitation status of S. obliquus and the bacterial community. In all 24 microcosms, both the algal and the bacterial communities showed a net growth phase followed by a plateau, reflecting stable coexistence over time. At the plateau, the algae were limited by nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P), depending on the medium, whereas the bacteria were co-limited by organic C and the nutrients N and P. We argue that these results are consistent with the carbon hypothesis, and we discuss the fact that bacteria were co-limited instead of purely C-limited in light of the resource-ratio theory. Our results provide evidence that, even in the absence of factors preventing competitive exclusion (e.g. spatial heterogeneity, temporal fluctuations, predators), phytoplankton and bacteria can coexist and sustain basic ecosystem functions, namely primary production and nutrient cycling. KEY WORDS: Bacterioplankton · Competition · Ecosystem persistence · Phytoplankton Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Daufresne T, Lacroix G, Benhaim D, Loreau M (2008) Coexistence of algae and bacteria: a test of the carbon hypothesis. Aquat Microb Ecol 53:323-332. https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01254 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AME Vol. 53, No. 3. Online publication date: December 11, 2008 Print ISSN: 0948-3055; Online ISSN: 1616-1564 Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.