Microeukaryote metabolism across the western North Atlantic Ocean revealed through autonomous underwater profiling

Microeukaryotes are key contributors to marine carbon cycling. Their physiology, ecology, and interactions with the chemical environment are poorly understood in offshore ecosystems, and especially in the deep ocean. Using the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Clio, microbial communities along a 1050 km transect in the western North Atlantic Ocean were surveyed at 10-200 m vertical depth increments to capture metabolic signatures spanning oligotrophic, continental margin, and productive coastal ecosystems. Microeukaryotes were examined using a paired metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic approach. Here we show a diverse surface assemblage consisting of stramenopiles, dinoflagellates and ciliates represented in both the transcript and protein fractions, with foraminifera, radiolaria, picozoa, and discoba proteins enriched at >200 m, and fungal proteins emerging in waters >3000 m. In the broad microeukaryote community, nitrogen stress biomarkers were found at coastal sites, with phosphorus stress biomarkers offshore. This multi-omics dataset broadens our understanding of how microeukaryotic taxa and their functional processes are structured along environmental gradients of temperature, light, and nutrients.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2024-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51583-4
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
7.34

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article

Microeukaryote metabolism across the western North Atlantic Ocean revealed through autonomous underwater profiling

Harriet Alexander, Brianna A. Alanis, J. A. Breier, Arianna I. Krinos et al.
16 citations
Nature Communications
Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
7.34
article

Microeukaryote metabolism across the western North Atlantic Ocean revealed through autonomous underwater profiling

Harriet Alexander, Brianna A. Alanis, J. A. Breier, Arianna I. Krinos, Joshua P. Stone, Paloma Lopez, Natalie R. Cohen, Mak A. Saito, Michael V. Jakuba, Riss M. Kellogg, Rebecca J. Chmiel, Dawn M. Moran, Matthew R. McIlvin, A. Barth, Eric W. Chan, Rod Johnson
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Microeukaryotes are key contributors to marine carbon cycling. Their physiology, ecology, and interactions with the chemical environment are poorly understood in offshore ecosystems, and especially in the deep ocean. Using the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Clio, microbial communities along a 1050 km transect in the western North Atlantic Ocean were surveyed at 10-200 m vertical depth increments to capture metabolic signatures spanning oligotrophic, continental margin, and productive coastal ecosystems. Microeukaryotes were examined using a paired metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic approach. Here we show a diverse surface assemblage consisting of stramenopiles, dinoflagellates and ciliates represented in both the transcript and protein fractions, with foraminifera, radiolaria, picozoa, and discoba proteins enriched at >200 m, and fungal proteins emerging in waters >3000 m. In the broad microeukaryote community, nitrogen stress biomarkers were found at coastal sites, with phosphorus stress biomarkers offshore. This multi-omics dataset broadens our understanding of how microeukaryotic taxa and their functional processes are structured along environmental gradients of temperature, light, and nutrients.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 15(1)
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (US), Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BM), Woodwell Climate Research Center (US), University of South Carolina (US), University of Georgia (US), The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (US), Whale Center of New England (US), Maritime Gloucester (US), Arizona State University (US), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Simons Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Cancer Institute
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
7.34
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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