The Algicidal Bacterium Kordia algicida Shapes a Natural Plankton Community

• Published in: Applied and environmental microbiology 2019-04, Vol.85 (7)
• Main Authors: Bigalke, Arite, Meyer, Nils, Papanikolopoulou, Lydia Alkistis, Wiltshire, Karen Helen, Pohnert, Georg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Algal blooms; Algicides; Antibiosis; Bacteria; Biotic factors; Communities; Community structure; Consortia; Decay; Diatoms - drug effects; Diatoms - growth & development; Ecological succession; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Enclosures; Environmental changes; Environmental conditions; Eutrophication; Eutrophication - drug effects; Flavobacteriaceae - growth & development; Flavobacteriaceae - physiology; Herbivores; Marine Biology; Microbial Ecology; Microorganisms; Modulators; North Sea; Pathogens; Pest Control, Biological; Phaeocystis; Phytoplankton; Phytoplankton - drug effects; Plankton; Plankton - growth & development; Population Dynamics; Primary production; Seasons; Seawater - microbiology; Variation
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336
• DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02779-18

Plankton communities consist of complex microbial consortia that change over time. These fluctuations can be only partially explained by limiting resources. Biotic factors such as herbivores and pathogens also contribute to the control of algal blooms. Here we address the effects of algicidal bacteria on a natural plankton community in an indoor enclosure experiment. The algicidal bacteria, introduced into plankton taken directly from the North Sea during a diatom bloom, caused the rapid decline of the bloom-forming within only 1 day. The haptophyte , in contrast, is resistant to the lytic bacteria and could benefit from the removal of the competitor, as indicated by an onset of a bloom in the treated enclosures. This cascading effect caused by the bacterial pathogen accelerated the succession of , which bloomed with a delay of only several weeks in the waters at Helgoland Roads in the North Sea. The algicidal bacteria can thus modulate the community within the limits of the abiotic and biotic conditions of the local environment. Implications of our findings for plankton ecosystem functioning are discussed. Plankton communities change on a seasonal basis in temperate systems, with distinct succession patterns; this is mainly due to algal species that have their optimal timing relative to environmental conditions. We know that bacterial populations are also instrumental in the decay and termination of phytoplankton blooms. Here, we describe algicidal bacteria as modulators of this important species succession. Upon treatment of a natural plankton consortium with an algicidal bacterium, we observed a strong shift in the phytoplankton community structure, compared to controls, resulting in formation of a succeeding bloom. Blooms of this alga have a substantial impact on global biogeochemical and ecological cycles, as they are responsible for a substantial proportion of primary production during spring in the North Sea. We propose that one of the key factors influencing such community shifts may be algicidal bacteria.