Abundance Of Picocyanobacteria Research Articles

Vertical distribution of picophytoplankton in the NW shelf and deep-water area of the Black Sea in spring

Structure and functions of picophytoplankton and their links to the water column density stratification and nutrient vertical profiles were studied in the Black Sea open waters along a transect from the Western Gyre to the NW shelf during spring homothermy in April of 2017. Abundances of picocyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus (0.85 ± 0.96 (SD) × 10 3 cells ml −1 ) and eukaryotic picoalgae (5.74 ± 5.99 × 10 3 cells ml −1 ) and their intracellular pigment (chl a , phycoerythrin) contents were quantified using flow cytometry. The distribution of these variables in the upper 100-m layer was non-uniform. Along the whole transect, Synechococcus and picoeukaryote abundance maxima (up to 4 × 10 3 and 3 × 10 4 cells ml −1 , respectively) were observed at the water temperature of 8–8.5°С in the depth range between 30 and 40 m. Picoeukaryotes dominated the total community. The share of Synecococcus averaged about 22% and increased with depth up to 80%. Picophytoplankton abundance dropped abruptly through the oxycline but the cells were found in the suboxic layer at about 10 3 cells ml −1 and in a sample from the anoxic zone at 10 2 cells ml −1 . Intracellular chl a maxima were revealed in the nitrate peak at sigma- t density of 15.5. In the surface and suboxic layers, non-specific green autofluorescence (GAF) was detected in picophytoplankton cells that might provide evidence of their stress state in adverse environment. Multivariate analysis has revealed tight coupling between abiotic and microbiological variables in three statistically distinct pelagic regions of the transect, corresponding to the abyss, the continental slope and the shelf. • Picoeukaryotes dominated picophytoplankton but the proportion of Synecococcus increased with depth. • Picophytoplankton abundance dropped abruptly through oxycline but still survived in suboxic layer. • Non-specific green autofluorescence (GAF) was detected in picophytoplankton by flow cytometry. • Picophytoplankton GAF maxima were revealed in surface and suboxic layers, indicating stress conditions.

Seasonal dynamics in picocyanobacterial abundance and clade composition at coastal and offshore stations in the Baltic Sea

Picocyanobacteria (< 2 µm in diameter) are significant contributors to total phytoplankton biomass. Due to the high diversity within this group, their seasonal dynamics and relationship with environmental parameters, especially in brackish waters, are largely unknown. In this study, the abundance and community composition of phycoerythrin rich picocyanobacteria (PE-SYN) and phycocyanin rich picocyanobacteria (PC-SYN) were monitored at a coastal (K-station) and at an offshore station (LMO; ~ 10 km from land) in the Baltic Sea over three years (2018–2020). Cell abundances of picocyanobacteria correlated positively to temperature and negatively to nitrate (NO3) concentration. While PE-SYN abundance correlated to the presence of nitrogen fixers, PC-SYN abundance was linked to stratification/shallow waters. The picocyanobacterial targeted amplicon sequencing revealed an unprecedented diversity of 2169 picocyanobacterial amplicons sequence variants (ASVs). A unique assemblage of distinct picocyanobacterial clades across seasons was identified. Clade A/B dominated the picocyanobacterial community, except during summer when low NO3, high phosphate (PO4) concentrations and warm temperatures promoted S5.2 dominance. This study, providing multiyear data, links picocyanobacterial populations to environmental parameters. The difference in the response of the two functional groups and clades underscore the need for further high-resolution studies to understand their role in the ecosystem.

Increases in Picocyanobacteria Abundance in Agriculturally Eutrophic Pampean Lakes Inferred from Historical Records of Secchi Depth and Chlorophyll-a

Phytoplankton size structure has profound consequences on food-web organization and energy transfer. Presently, picocyanobacteria (size &lt; 2 µm) represent a major fraction of the autotrophic plankton of Pampean lakes. Glyphosate is known to stimulate the development of picocyanobacteria capable of degrading the herbicide. Due to the worldwide adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops, herbicide usage has increased sharply since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, there are very few studies (none for the Pampa region) reporting picocyanobacteria abundance before 2000. The proliferation of µm sized particles should decrease Secchi disc depth (ZSD). Therefore ZSD, conditional to chlorophyll-a, may serve as an indicator of picocyanobacteria abundance. We use generalized additive models (GAMs) to analyze a “validation” dataset consisting of 82 records of ZSD, chlorophyll-a, and picocyanobacteria abundance from two Pampean lakes surveys (2009 and 2015). In support of the hypothesis, ZSD was negatively related to picocyanobacteria after accounting for the effect of chlorophyll-a. We then fitted a “historical” dataset using hierarchical GAMs to compare ZSD conditional to chlorophyll-a, before and after 2000. We estimated that ZSD levels during 2000–2021 were, on average, only about half as deep as those during 1980–1999. We conclude that the adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops has stimulated outbreaks of picocyanobacteria populations, resulting in lower water transparency.

Spatial distribution of picoseston in the Saratov reservoir in summer

The structure and spatial distribution of picoseston in the Saratov reservoir in July 2011 and August 2014 are described. On average, the total abundance of cells and particles forming picoseston was 1.87±0.73×106 cells (part.)/mL; and the total biomass of picoseston was 43.8±19.4 µg C/L. During the study period, solitary heterotrophic bacteria and phototrophic picocyanobacteria prevailed in the picoseston of the Saratov reservoir, amounting to 77–100% of its total abundance and biomass. The proportion of picodetrital particles was extremely small (on average, 4.1% of the total biomass of picoseston). The high heterogeneity of picoceston distribution (Cv is 130% and 110% for abundance and biomass, respectively) was found in the Saratov reservoir during the study period. On average, the abundance and biomass of heterotrophic bacterioplaknton and picodetritus at stations of the tributary estuaries were slightly higher than in the riverbed. At the same time, the abundance of picocyanobacteria was higher, and the biomass was lower at the estuarine stations compared to the riverbed ones. The total number of bacterioplankton and autotrophic picoplankton in the Saratov reservoir in 2011 and 2014 corresponded to the mesotrophic level of productivity. Picodetrital particles, in contrast to the Upper Volga and Kama reservoirs, make no significant contribution to the planktonic food webs of the Saratov reservoir, at least during the study period.

Diet of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, growing in a eutrophic tributary of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA

A 2-year study was undertaken to understand feeding preferences of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica in the eutrophic Rhode River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA. A subset of experimentally suspended oysters was collected monthly and environmental parameters were simultaneously measured. Oysters were measured in height to determine growth, and the phytoplankton in their gut were examined both microscopically and using indicator pigments and compared with phytoplankton abundance and composition in the water column. Growth was higher in the second year of the study when flow was lower and salinity higher. Food selectivity was calculated using a modified electivity index (Ei), which relates phytoplankton composition in the gut to that in the water. Oysters appeared to preferentially graze–or at least preferentially retain in the gut–various (unidentified) flagellates, Ochrophyta (diatoms) and Myzozoa (dinoflagellates), and appeared to generally reject cyanobacteria, especially picocyanobacteria, from their diet. The Myzozoa included several common harmful algal bloom taxa, including Prorocentum minimum (=P. cordatum) and Heterocapsa rotundatum, that can detrimentally affect oyster growth. Reductions in eutrophication will likely be beneficial for oyster diets if such reductions result in fewer dinoflagellate blooms and in picocyanobacteria abundance during the critical feeding summer months.

Diel oscillations in the feeding activity of heterotrophic and mixotrophic nanoplankton in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Daily oscillations in photosynthetically active radiation strongly influence the timing of metabolic processes in picocyanobacteria, but it is less clear how the light-dark cycle affects the activities of their consumers. We investigated the relationship between marine picocyanobacteria and nanoplanktonic consumers throughout the diel cycle to determine whether heterotrophic and mixotrophic protists (algae with phagotrophic ability) display significant periodicity in grazing pressure. Carbon biomass of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus was estimated continuously from abundances and cell size measurements made by flow cytometry. Picocyanobacterial dynamics were then compared to nanoplankton abundances and ingestion of fluorescently labeled bacteria measured every 4 h during a 4 d survey in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Grazing of the labeled bacteria by heterotrophic nanoplankton was significantly greater at night than during the day. The grazing activity of mixotrophic nanoplankton showed no diel periodicity, suggesting that they may feed continuously, albeit at lower rates than heterotrophic nanoplankton, to alleviate nutrient limitation in this oligotrophic environment. Diel changes in Prochlorococcus biomass indicated that they could support substantial growth of nanoplankton if those grazers are the main source of picocyanobacterial mortality, and that grazers may contribute to temporally stable abundances of picocyanobacteria.

Temporal and Spatial Variation Patterns of Picophytoplankton and Their Correlations with Environmental Factors During the Wet Season in East Lake Dongting

Picophytoplankton (<3 μm), comprising picocyanobacteria (PCY) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs), are considerably important in the material circulation and energy flow of aquatic ecosystems. To explore the temporal and spatial variation patterns of picophytoplankton and their correlations with environmental factors in lotic Yangtze-connected lakes, field in-situ investigations were performed on a monthly basis during the wet season (May to August) in 2019 in East Lake Dongting, a Yangtze-connected lake. The results indicated that both the Chla biomass and abundances of picophytoplankton exhibited significant spatial and temporal variability (P<0.05). The picophytoplankton Chla biomass showed an average concentration of 8.52 μg·L-1 and accounted for 41.6% to total phytoplankton on an average. From May to August, Chla biomass of picophytoplankton kept increasing with increasing temperature, especially in the north and south of the lake, and it was the lowest in the east of the lake. PCY dominated picophytoplankton abundance in East Lake Dongting and was 3.4 times the abundance of PPEs on an average. Similar spatial and temporal variation patterns were observed between PCY and PPEs. The abundances of PCY and PPEs both increased first and then decreased during the wet season. Spatially, picophytoplankton showed a trend to migrate from the northern lake to the southern lake from May to July, and the abundance significantly declined in August and peaked mainly in the north of the lake. The analysis results showed that picophytoplankton in East Lake Dongting exhibited significant spatial and temporal variability during the wet season; the water level and N：P ratio were determined to be the most important factors explaining the variation of the abundance proportion of PCY and PPEs.

New lake in a changing world: the construction and filling of a small hydropower reservoir in the tropics (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

Climate change has affected rainfall patterns in tropical regions, where simultaneous demands for water and energy, habitat loss, declining biodiversity, and spread of invasive species have reflected a rapidly changing world underway. In Brazil, hydropower generation accounts for 64% of the electricity matrix, which presently includes 1007 small hydropower plants (SHPs) having many others under construction or planned. This paper aimed to evaluate changes in water quality, plankton communities, and benthic macroinvertebrates during dam construction, filling, and the first year of operation of a SHP. Suspended solids, turbidity, and silica were variables that highlighted the impact of this construction on the river. Fast changes in water quality (increases in calcium, chlorides, and nitrate) and on aquatic communities (i.e. euglenophyceans and testate amoebae increased in numbers) were detected during the filling phase. Following SHP construction, the concentrations of metals and total phosphorus tended to decrease. Two striking findings observed in the aquatic communities from the riverine conditions to the new lake were the increase in picocyanobacteria abundance, expanding population stocks throughout the river basin, and the constant presence of the invasive mollusc Corbicula fluminea in the macroinvertebrate assemblage, revealing once again its resistance to environmental variability. The lake soon became a natural trap for ions from the drainage basin, as revealed by the increase in electrical conductivity, ammonium, potassium, and magnesium concentrations and the abundance of cyanobacteria, highlighting the need for watershed management to improve ecological conditions in the lake.

Field evidence supports former experimental claims on the stimulatory effect of glyphosate on picocyanobacteria communities

Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most commonly used herbicide worldwide. Although glyphosate is known to be toxic to aquatic organisms, it can also have stimulatory effects on small-size (ø <2 µm) cyanobacteria (Pcy) able to metabolize and degrade glyphosate and AMPA. Several previous experimental studies in micro- and mesocosms reported increases of Pcy abundance in response to glyphosate additions, but comparable field evidence is presently unavailable. We surveyed a large geographical area in order to collect information on Pcy abundance from lakes within the Pampa region (with over three decades of glyphosate usage) and lakes from Patagonia (with virtually no history of glyphosate usage). Fifty-two Pampean lakes and 24 Patagonian lakes were surveyed. We used three indicators of glyphosate impact: herbicide concentration, the presence of phosphonate metabolism genes (responsible for glyphosate and AMPA degradation) in environmental DNA samples, and descriptors of land use in the surrounding area of each lake. We addressed three questions: (1) is there field evidence of stimulatory effects of glyphosate on picocyanobacteria abundance? (2) is the magnitude of the effects of glyphosate in natural systems comparable to that reported under controlled experimental conditions? and (3), how do the effects of glyphosate compare to the effects of other potential environmental drivers of Pcy biomass? The collected evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that long-term agricultural practices relying on glyphosate-based technologies had important effects on freshwater microbial communities, particularly by promoting increases in picocyanobacteria abundance.

The Spatial Distribution of Plankton Picocyanobacteria on the Shelf of the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian Seas

The spatial distribution of picocyanobacteria at the arctic longitude section passing through the shelf of the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas from 58° to 168° E was studied. The average abundance of picocyanobacteria was 0.48 ± 1.2 × 109 cells/m3 in the Kara Sea, 0.16 ± 0.24 × 109 cells/m3 in the Laptev Sea, and 0.25 ± 0.43 × 109 cells/m3 in the East Siberian Sea. The fluctuations of picocyanobacterial abundance were determined by their presence in allochthonous sources: river flow and transformed North Atlantic waters. The highest abundance was observed in the areas of the runoff influence of the Ob, Khatanga, Indigirka, and Kolyma Siberian rivers: 0.5 × 109, 0.2 × 109, 0.4 × 109, and 1.6 × 109 cells/m3, respectively. The average contribution of picocyanobacteria to the total abundance and biomass of picophytoplankton in the western part of the Kara Sea was 37 and 36%, respectively. In other regions, the average contribution of picocyanobacteria to the total abundance and biomass of phototrophic picoplankton did not exceed 7 and 6%, respectively. A highly reliable (p$$ \ll $$ 0.01) positive correlation between the abundance and biomass of picocyanobacteria and the water temperature (p = 0.003) was revealed in the entire dataset obtained.

Viral Infection of Picocyanobacteria in the Rybinsk Reservoir During the Freezing Period

The abundances of virioplankton and planktonic picocyanobacteria in deep and shallow water sites of Rybinsk Reservoir during the freezing period (water temperature 0.3–0.9°C) varied from (37.1 to 84.1) × 106 ((57.3 ± 2.1) × 106, on average) particles/ml and from 13.5 to 75.0 × 103 ((48.7 ± 3.4) × 103, on average) cells/ml, respectively. The fraction of picocyanobacteria with viruses attached to their cell surface was 6.5–29.0% (12.0 ± 0.8%, on average). The proportion of visible infected cells was 0.7–7.6% (2.2 ± 0.3%, on average) of the numbers of picocyanobacteria. It is likely that viruses play an important role in the regulation of picocyanobacteria abundance during the freezing period.

Experimental assessment of the sensitivity of an estuarine phytoplankton fall bloom to acidification and warming

Abstract. We investigated the combined effect of ocean acidification and warming on the dynamics of the phytoplankton fall bloom in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE), Canada. Twelve 2600 L mesocosms were set to initially cover a wide range of pHT (pH on the total proton scale) from 8.0 to 7.2 corresponding to a range of pCO2 from 440 to 2900 µatm, and two temperatures (in situ and +5 ∘C). The 13-day experiment captured the development and decline of a nanophytoplankton bloom dominated by the chain-forming diatom Skeletonema costatum. During the development phase of the bloom, increasing pCO2 influenced neither the magnitude nor the net growth rate of the nanophytoplankton bloom, whereas increasing the temperature by 5 ∘C stimulated the chlorophyll a (Chl a) growth rate and maximal particulate primary production (PP) by 76 % and 63 %, respectively. During the declining phase of the bloom, warming accelerated the loss of diatom cells, paralleled by a gradual decrease in the abundance of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes and a bloom of picocyanobacteria. Increasing pCO2 and warming did not influence the abundance of picoeukaryotes, while picocyanobacteria abundance was reduced by the increase in pCO2 when combined with warming in the latter phase of the experiment. Over the full duration of the experiment, the time-integrated net primary production was not significantly affected by the pCO2 treatments or warming. Overall, our results suggest that warming, rather than acidification, is more likely to alter phytoplankton autumnal bloom development in the LSLE in the decades to come. Future studies examining a broader gradient of temperatures should be conducted over a larger seasonal window in order to better constrain the potential effect of warming on the development of blooms in the LSLE and its impact on the fate of primary production.

ВИРУСНАЯ ИНФЕКЦИЯ ПИКОЦИАНОБАКТЕРИЙ РЫБИНСКОГО ВОДОХРАНИЛИЩА В ПЕРИОД ЛЕДОСТАВА

The virioplankton and planktonic picocyanobacteria abundances in the deep and shallow waters of the Rybinsk reservoir during the freeze-up period (the water temperature within 0.3 - 0.9°C) varied within (37.1 - 84.1)×106 ((57.3±2.1)×106 on the average) particles/ml and (13.5 - 75.0)×103 ((48.7±3.4)×103 on the average) cells/ml, respectively. The fraction of picocyanobacteria with viruses attached to their cell surface was 6.5 - 29.0% (12.0±0.8% on the average). The proportion of visible infected cells was 0.7 - 7.6% (2.2±0.3% on the average) of the numbers of picocyanobacteriae. Apparently, viruses play an important role in the picocyanobacteriae abundance regulation during the freeze-up period.

Picophytoplankton Seasonal Dynamics and Interactions with Environmental Variables in Three Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons

Picophytoplankton (Pico) seasonal dynamics and ecology were investigated in three eutrophic coastal lagoons (Calich, Santa Giusta, and Corru S’Ittiri) located in the same geographic region (Sardinia, Mediterranean Sea). Pico dynamics were examined to determine a relationship with variability in environmental conditions characterizing the three sites, and identify which parameters affected observed Pico dynamics. Results showed Pico density reached 108 cells L−1 and biomass values did not exceed 72.8 μg C L−1. Statistical analyses detected significant differences in hydrographic and nutrient conditions among lagoons, which were also characterized by variable Pico seasonal dynamics and composition. Calich and Santa Giusta were dominated all year around by picocyanobacteria. Maximum picocyanobacteria abundance was observed during summer in both lagoons, associated with the highest temperatures recorded. Picocyanobacteria abundance and nutrient concentrations showed a significant negative and positive correlation in Calich and Santa Giusta, respectively. In contrast, picoeukaryotes dominated Pico assemblages in Corru S’Ittiri, where the highest transparency and salinity and the lowest seasonal variation in salinity were recorded. In Corru S’Ittiri, the maximum Pico abundance was observed in autumn, when lower temperature and the highest nutrient concentrations were observed. Our study provides information on Pico assemblage ecology, which remains scarce in coastal and transitional environments, particularly in Mediterranean climate regimes.

Dietary BMAA Exposure in an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Cluster from Southern France

BackgroundDietary exposure to the cyanotoxin BMAA is suspected to be the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Western Pacific Islands. In Europe and North America, this toxin has been identified in the marine environment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clusters but, to date, only few dietary exposures have been described.ObjectivesWe aimed at identifying cluster(s) of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Hérault district, a coastal district from Southern France, and to search, in the identified area(s), for the existence of a potential dietary source of BMAA.MethodsA spatio-temporal cluster analysis was performed in the district, considering all incident amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases identified from 1994 to 2009 by our expert center. We investigated the cluster area with serial collections of oysters and mussels that were subsequently analyzed blind for BMAA concentrations.ResultsWe found one significant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cluster (p = 0.0024), surrounding the Thau lagoon, the most important area of shellfish production and consumption along the French Mediterranean coast. BMAA was identified in mussels (1.8 µg/g to 6.0 µg/g) and oysters (0.6 µg/g to 1.6 µg/g). The highest concentrations of BMAA were measured during summer when the highest picocyanobacteria abundances were recorded. ConclusionsWhile it is not possible to ascertain a direct link between shellfish consumption and the existence of this ALS cluster, these results add new data to the potential association of BMAA with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, one of the most severe neurodegenerative disorder.

Mesozooplankton Grazing on Picocyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea as Inferred from Molecular Diet Analysis

Our current knowledge on the microbial component of zooplankton diet is limited, and it is generally assumed that bacteria-sized prey is not directly consumed by most mesozooplankton grazers in the marine food webs. We questioned this assumption and conducted field and laboratory studies to examine picocyanobacteria contribution to the diets of Baltic Sea zooplankton, including copepods. First, qPCR targeting ITS-1 rDNA sequence of the picocyanobacteria Synechococcus spp. was used to examine picocyanobacterial DNA occurrence in the guts of Baltic zooplankton (copepods, cladocerans and rotifers). All field-collected zooplankton were found to consume picocyanobacteria in substantial quantities. In terms of Synechococcus quantity, the individual gut content was highest in cladocerans, whereas biomass-specific gut content was highest in rotifers and copepod nauplii. Moreover, the gut content in copepods was positively related to the picocyanobacteria abundance and negatively to the total phytoplankton abundance in the water column at the time of sampling. This indicates that increased availability of picocyanobacteria resulted in the increased intake of this prey and that copepods may rely more on picoplankton when food in the preferred size range declines. Second, a feeding experiments with a laboratory reared copepod Acartia tonsa fed a mixture of the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus bacillaris and microalga Rhodomonas salina confirmed that copepods ingested Synechococcus, even when the alternative food was plentiful. Finally, palatability of the picocyanobacteria for A. tonsa was demonstrated using uptake of 13C by the copepods as a proxy for carbon uptake in feeding experiment with 13C-labeled S. bacillaris. These findings suggest that, if abundant, picoplankton may become an important component of mesozooplankton diet, which needs to be accounted for in food web models and productivity assessments.

Diversity and dynamics of picocyanobacteria and the bloom-forming cyanobacteria in a large shallow eutrophic lake (lake Chaohu, China)

The diversity and succession pattern of cyanobacteria, particularly picocyanobacteria and bloom-forming cyanobacteria, were examined monthly in a eutrophic lake (lake Chaohu) in China using a combination of light microscopy and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequence analysis. The results showed that both picocyanobacteria and bloom-forming cyanobacteria have high levels of diversity. Microcystis and Anabaena were the two predominant bloom-forming genera, and two obvious shifts occurred between them from spring to winter. Anabaena was dominant in spring, then it was rapidly replaced by Microcystis in summer and became dominant again in late autumn and early winter. Apart from water temperature, three forms of dissolved nitrogen (NO3-N, NO2-N, and NH4-N) were important driving factors for their seasonal succession, as demonstrated by redundancy analysis. Clone libraries and sequence analysis revealed that picocyanobacteria (mainly Synechococcus -like) are also important cyanobacteria members in lake Chaohu. All 8 picocyanobacterial phylotypes belonged to the Cyanobium clade. The phylotypes could be further grouped into at least 7 distinct clusters, and 4 of these clusters do not belong to any of the previously described clusters. Picocyanobacteria accounted for more than 70% (percentage in the clone library) in March and April but only accounted for less than 10% from June to October during the Microcystis bloom. The relative abundance of picocyanobacteria was positively correlated with the mass ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus (r=0.965, P<0.01, n=10) and ammonium concentration (r=0.721, P<0.05, n=10).

Effect of East Asian aerosol enrichment on microbial community composition in the South China Sea

East Asian aerosol has been regarded as an increasingly important nutrient source in the Northwest Pacific region due to intensifying human activities in the last decades. However, its effects on bacterial communities, an important component of the marine microbial food web and biogeochemical cycles, have been little studied. In our study, two types of aerosol enrichment microcosm experiments were conducted in the oligotrophic South China Sea by adding the aerosol initially or daily. Our results showed that the potential stimulus of bacteria by aerosol enrichment was likely masked by a more intense grazing pressure in these treatments. Distinct responses of various bacterial phylogenetic groups, including Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, were revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. High aerosol addition resulted in a decrease in autotrophic picocyanobacteria abundance, but no significant composition change was observed. Such responses of microbial abundance and composition could be directly triggered by the input of aerosol-derived organic or inorganic components and further shaped by the changes in the phytoplankton community structure or differentiated mortality loss caused by enhanced protist grazing, which may have implications for oceanic carbon dynamics under future scenarios of increasing atmospheric deposition.

Large-scale distribution and production of bacterioplankton in the Adriatic Sea

Two oceanographic cruises encompassing the whole Adriatic Sea were carried out during February and October 2008. Selected stations were sampled at several depths to determine total prokaryotes and picocyanobacteria abundance using epifluorescence microscopy, and to estimate prokaryotic carbon production by 3H-leucine incorporation. Biological data were related to physical parameters including temperature, salinity and fluorescence, and an attempt to associate bacterial dynamics to water mass characteristics was performed. In both seasons prokaryotic distribution and production showed a decreasing latitudinal gradient likely dependent on riverine inputs highlighted by a strong negative correlation with salinity ( P < 0.001). A vertical gradient with higher cell numbers at the surface and lower values at the bottom layer was also always detected. In the southern basin in February, however, picocyanobacteria were retrieved also in deep waters, probably linked to higher nutrient loads carried by the Levantine Intermediate Waters and/or the deep water ventilation known to occur in this area. From an oceanographic point of view, we sampled within four different water types, but no relationship between these water types and bacterioplankton abundances was found. The present work contributes to the acquisition of a more holistic overview of prokaryotic distribution and production in the Adriatic Sea, both on a spatial and temporal scale.

East Tibetan Lakes Harbour Novel Clusters of Picocyanobacteria as Inferred from the 16S–23S rRNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences

Planktonic picocyanobacteria abundance and diversity were investigated in nine lakes on the East Tibetan Plateau spanning a salinity gradient of 0.4-22.6 g l(-1). The investigation was conducted using epifluorescence microscopy (EFM) and terminal restriction fragment polymorphism analysis of 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) PCR amplicons followed by sequence analyses of large ITS clone libraries of seven selected samples. EFM showed that picocyanobacteria comprised 7-19% of the total prokaryotic cells found in surface water. Most of the clones were classified into six clusters and grouped within the "picocyanobacterial clade", which consists exclusively of freshwater Synechococcus. Four new phylogenetic clusters and one new subcluster of Synechococcus spp. were found, none of which are members of any known picocyanobacterial clusters. The new clusters and subcluster were the most abundant picocyanobacteria (about 96% of the sequences) in the samples collected. Sequence analyses indicated that members of the four new Synechococcus groups were only found in freshwater lakes (<1.0 g l(-1) of total dissolved solid), while members of the new subcluster were found in all the investigated Tibetan lakes, over a large salinity gradient of 0.4-22.6 g l( -1). This suggests that there is ecologically significant microdiversity within the observed Synechococcus group as defined by ITS sequences. Collectively our study demonstrated abundant and potentially novel Synechococcus in East Tibetan lakes that are likely the result of evolutionary adaptations to regional conditions.