Picophytoplankton implicated in productivity and biogeochemistry in the North Pacific Transition ZoneShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: mSystems, E-ISSN 2379-5077, Vol. 11, no 2, article id e00801-25Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Marine phytoplankton are central to global seascapes, acting as key conduits in element cycling and oceanic food webs. Phytoplankton cell size spans several orders of magnitude (0.2 to >200 mu m) and is an important trait that governs metabolism. However, the vast taxonomic diversity within phytoplankton size classes makes it challenging to link specific taxa to bulk community changes in productivity and elemental stoichiometry. To explore phytoplankton biogeography and biogeochemical roles in field populations, we analyzed 3 years of 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing variant (ASV) data alongside biochemical measurements across the dynamic latitudinal gradient of the North Pacific Transition Zone. We identified picophytoplankton community members associated with patterns in net community production (NCP), particulate organic carbon (POC), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) and uncovered co-occurring species that may influence their growth and abundance. Multivariate linear mixed modeling revealed that the occurrence of chlorophytes explained 22.6% of NCP values, followed by stramenopiles and cyanobacteria. In contrast, POC and PON spatial patterns were best explained by chlorophyte and dinoflagellate spatial patterns. Weighted co-expression network analysis further showed NCP, POC, and PON correlations with a subset of similar to 40 ASVs belonging to chlorophytes, cyanobacteria, stramenopiles, haptophytes, and dinoflagellates that range in trophic strategy. Association network inference recapitulated these findings and revealed additional co-occurring phytoplankton, grazers, and heterotrophic bacteria. Together, our integrated computational analyses identified key picophytoplankton and co-occurring mixotrophs as major contributors to shaping regional biogeochemical dynamics in the North Pacific Ocean.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Society for Microbiology, 2026. Vol. 11, no 2, article id e00801-25
Keywords [en]
marine microbiology, phytoplankton, microbial interactions, biogeochemistry, north pacific, ocean, mixed models, co-occurrence networks, bioinformatics, net community production
National Category
Microbiology
Research subject
Ecology, Microbiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-144374DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00801-25ISI: 001663271800001PubMedID: 41543250OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-144374DiVA, id: diva2:2032039
2026-01-262026-01-262026-03-02Bibliographically approved