The influence of light and Water mass on bacterial population dynamics in the Amundsen Sea Polynya

Abstract Despite being perpetually cold, seasonally ice-covered and dark, the coastal Southern Ocean is highly productive and harbors a diverse microbiota. During the austral summer, ice-free coastal patches (or polynyas) form, exposing pelagic organisms to sunlight, triggering intense phytoplankton blooms. This strong seasonality is likely to influence bacterioplankton community composition (BCC). For the most part, we do not fully understand the environmental drivers controlling high-latitude BCC and the biogeochemical cycles they mediate. In this study, the Amundsen Sea Polynya was used as a model system to investigate important environmental factors that shape the coastal Southern Ocean microbiota. Population dynamics in terms of occurrence and activity of abundant taxa was studied in both environmental samples and microcosm experiments by using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. We found that the BCC in the photic epipelagic zone had low richness, with dominant bacterial populations being related to taxa known to benefit from high organic carbon and nutrient loads (copiotrophs). In contrast, the BCC in deeper mesopelagic water masses had higher richness, featuring taxa known to benefit from low organic carbon and nutrient loads (oligotrophs). Incubation experiments indicated that direct impacts of light and competition for organic nutrients are two important factors shaping BCC in the Amundsen Sea Polynya

Summer comes to the Southern Ocean: how phytoplankton shape bacterioplankton communities far into the deep dark sea

18 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, supporting information https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2641During austral spring and summer, the coastal Antarctic experiences a sharp increase in primary production and a steepening of biotic and abiotic gradients that result from increased solar radiation and retreating sea ice. In one of the largest seasonally ice-free regions, the Amundsen Sea Polynya, pelagic samples were collected from 15 sites during a massive Phaeocystis antarctica bloom in 2010/2011. Along with a suite of other biotic and abiotic measurements, bacterioplankton were collected and analyzed for community structure by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The aims were to identify patterns in diversity and composition of heterotrophic bacterioplankton and to test mechanistic hypotheses for explaining these differences along variations in depth, water mass, phytoplankton biomass, and organic and inorganic nutrients. The overall goal was to clarify the relationship between primary producers and bacterioplankton community structure in the Southern Ocean. Results suggested that both epipelagic and mesopelagic bacterioplankton communities were structured by phytoplankton blooming in the euphotic zone. As chlorophyll a (chl-a) increased in surface waters, the abundance of surface bacterioplankton increased, but their diversity decreased. Similarity in bacterioplankton community composition between surface-water sites increased as the bloom progressed, suggesting that algal blooms may homogenize surface-water bacterioplankton communities at larger spatial scales. Below the euphotic zone, the opposite relationship was found. Mesopelagic bacterioplankton diversity increased with increasing chl-a in the overlying surface waters. This shift may be promoted by several factors including local increase in organic and inorganic nutrients from particles sinking out of the euphotic zone, an increase in niche differentiation associated with the particle flux, interactions with deep-dwelling macrozooplankton, and release from competition with primary producers. Additional multivariate analyses of bacterioplankton community structure and nutrient concentrations revealed distinct depth horizons, with bacterioplankton communities having maximum alpha and beta diversity just below the euphotic zone, while nutrient composition gradually homogenized with increasing depth. Our results provide evidence for bloom-driven (bottom-up) control of bacterioplankton community diversity in the coastal Southern Ocean and suggest mechanisms whereby surface processes can shape the diversity of bacterioplankton communities at great depthThe study was funded by the Swedish Research Council (grants to SB and LR) and the U.S. National Science Foundation through the ASPIRE project (ANT‐0839069

Environmental filtering of bacteria in low productivity habitats

Microbes fulfill important ecosystem functions by contributing as drivers of global nutrient cycles. Their distribution patterns are mainly controlled by environmental heterogeneities. So far, little is known about the mode of action of particular environmental drivers on the microbiota, particularly in low productivity habitats. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationships between local environmental drivers and the microbial responses at the level of communities, individuals and realized function, using three structurally different model habitats sharing the feature of overall low productivity. Using a hypothesis-based approach and extensive 16S rRNA amplicon mapping of bacterioplankton colonizing the polar Southern Ocean, I identified how the seasonal formation of open-water polynyas and coupled phytoplankton production affected the diversity of surface bacterial communities and resulted in a cascading effect influencing the underlying dark polar water masses. Additional laboratory experiments, with cultures exposed to light, resulted in reduction in alpha diversity and promoted opportunistic populations with most bacterial populations thriving in the cultures typically reflected the dominants in situ. Furthermore it was experimentally tested how induced cyclic water table fluctuations shaping environmental heterogeneity in a constructed wetland on temporal scale, by directly affecting redox conditions. Twelve months of water table fluctuations resulted in enhanced microbial biomass, however a shift in community composition did not lead to a significant increase in pollutant removal efficiency when compared to a static control wetland. I detected phyla that have previously been proposed as key players in anaerobic benzene break-down using a protocol that was developed for single cell activity screening using isotope-substrate uptake and microautoradiography combined with taxonomic identification based on fluorescent in situ hybridization targeting the 16S rRNA. Eventually, I provide an example of how anthropogenic pollution with polyaromatic hydrocarbons induced a strong environmental filtering on intrinsic microbial communities in lake sediments. In conclusion, my studies reveal that microorganisms residing in low productivity habitats are greatly influenced by environmental heterogeneity across both spatial and temporal scales. However, such variation in community composition or overall abundance does not always translate to altered community function.

Environmental filtering of bacteria in low productivity habitats

Microbes fulfill important ecosystem functions by contributing as drivers of global nutrient cycles. Their distribution patterns are mainly controlled by environmental heterogeneities. So far, little is known about the mode of action of particular environmental drivers on the microbiota, particularly in low productivity habitats. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationships between local environmental drivers and the microbial responses at the level of communities, individuals and realized function, using three structurally different model habitats sharing the feature of overall low productivity. Using a hypothesis-based approach and extensive 16S rRNA amplicon mapping of bacterioplankton colonizing the polar Southern Ocean, I identified how the seasonal formation of open-water polynyas and coupled phytoplankton production affected the diversity of surface bacterial communities and resulted in a cascading effect influencing the underlying dark polar water masses. Additional laboratory experiments, with cultures exposed to light, resulted in reduction in alpha diversity and promoted opportunistic populations with most bacterial populations thriving in the cultures typically reflected the dominants in situ. Furthermore it was experimentally tested how induced cyclic water table fluctuations shaping environmental heterogeneity in a constructed wetland on temporal scale, by directly affecting redox conditions. Twelve months of water table fluctuations resulted in enhanced microbial biomass, however a shift in community composition did not lead to a significant increase in pollutant removal efficiency when compared to a static control wetland. I detected phyla that have previously been proposed as key players in anaerobic benzene break-down using a protocol that was developed for single cell activity screening using isotope-substrate uptake and microautoradiography combined with taxonomic identification based on fluorescent in situ hybridization targeting the 16S rRNA. Eventually, I provide an example of how anthropogenic pollution with polyaromatic hydrocarbons induced a strong environmental filtering on intrinsic microbial communities in lake sediments. In conclusion, my studies reveal that microorganisms residing in low productivity habitats are greatly influenced by environmental heterogeneity across both spatial and temporal scales. However, such variation in community composition or overall abundance does not always translate to altered community function.

Mixing of water masses caused by a drifting iceberg affects substrate utilization and community composition of bacterioplankton in the Southern Ocean

14th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME14), 19-24 August 2012 Copenhagen, DenmarkPeer reviewe

Generalist bacteria colonizing the water masses of the amundsen sea polynya

14th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME14), 19-24 August 2012 Copenhagen, DenmarkPeer reviewe

Mixing of water masses caused by a drifting iceberg affects bacterial activity, community composition and substrate utilization capability in the Southern Ocean

Special Issue on the Ecology of Aquatic Microbes.-- 15 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, supporting information https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13769The number of icebergs produced from ice-shelf disintegration has increased over the past decade in Antarctica. These drifting icebergs mix the water column, influence stratification and nutrient condition, and can affect local productivity and food web composition. Data on whether icebergs affect bacterioplankton function and composition are scarce, however. We assessed the influence of iceberg drift on bacterial community composition and on their ability to exploit carbon substrates during summer in the coastal Southern Ocean. An elevated bacterial production and a different community composition were observed in iceberg-influenced waters relative to the undisturbed water column nearby. These major differences were confirmed in short-term incubations with bromodeoxyuridine followed by CARD-FISH. Furthermore, one-week bottle incubations amended with inorganic nutrients and carbon substrates (a mix of substrates, glutamine, N-acetylglucosamine, or pyruvate) revealed contrasting capacity of bacterioplankton to utilize specific carbon substrates in the iceberg-influenced waters compared with the undisturbed site. Our study demonstrates that the hydrographical perturbations introduced by a drifting iceberg can affect activity, composition, and substrate utilization capability of marine bacterioplankton. Consequently, in a context of global warming, increased frequency of drifting icebergs in polar regions holds the potential to affect carbon and nutrient biogeochemistry at local and possibly regional scalesThis work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant 2008-6430 to SB and LR), by the US National Science Foundation through the ASPIRE project (NSF OPP-0839069 to PY), and the European BONUS1 project BAZOOCA (Baltic Zooplankton Cascades) to LR. Sequencing was funded by an YMER-80 grant to JD and supported by the Science for Life laboratory SNP/SEQ Technology Platform in Uppsala and an instrument grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. RL was supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (PIEF-GA-2009-235365, EU) and a Juan de la Cierva fellowship (JCI-2010-06594, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain).Peer Reviewe

The influence of light and water mass on bacterial population dynamics in the Amundsen Sea Polynya

Special Collection: Special Feature: ASPIRE: The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition.-- 17 pages, 4 figures, 7 tablesDespite being perpetually cold, seasonally ice-covered and dark, the coastal Southern Ocean is highly productive and harbors a diverse microbiota. During the austral summer, ice-free coastal patches (or polynyas) form, exposing pelagic organisms to sunlight, triggering intense phytoplankton blooms. This strong seasonality is likely to influence bacterioplankton community composition (BCC). For the most part, we do not fully understand the environmental drivers controlling high-latitude BCC and the biogeochemical cycles they mediate. In this study, the Amundsen Sea Polynya was used as a model system to investigate important environmental factors that shape the coastal Southern Ocean microbiota. Population dynamics in terms of occurrence and activity of abundant taxa was studied in both environmental samples and microcosm experiments by using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. We found that the BCC in the photic epipelagic zone had low richness, with dominant bacterial populations being related to taxa known to benefit from high organic carbon and nutrient loads (copiotrophs). In contrast, the BCC in deeper mesopelagic water masses had higher richness, featuring taxa known to benefit from low organic carbon and nutrient loads (oligotrophs). Incubation experiments indicated that direct impacts of light and competition for organic nutrients are two important factors shaping BCC in the Amundsen Sea PolynyaThe research was funded by the Swedish Research Council (grants to SB) and by the US National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (ANT-0839069 to PY)Peer Reviewe

A carbon budget for the Amundsen Sea Polynya, Antarctica : estimating net community production and export in a highly productive polar ecosystem

Polynyas, or recurring areas of seasonally open water surrounded by sea ice, are foci for energy and material transfer between the atmosphere and the polar ocean. They are also climate sensitive, with both sea ice extent and glacial melt influencing their productivity. The Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) is the greenest polynya in the Southern Ocean, with summertime chlorophyll a concentrations exceeding 20 µg L−1. During the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) in austral summer 2010–11, we aimed to determine the fate of this high algal productivity. We collected water column profiles for total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrients, particulate and dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll a, mesozooplankton, and microbial biomass to make a carbon budget for this ecosystem. We also measured primary and secondary production, community respiration rates, vertical particle flux and fecal pellet production and grazing. With observations arranged along a gradient of increasing integrated dissolved inorganic nitrogen drawdown (ΔDIN; 0.027–0.74 mol N m−2), changes in DIC in the upper water column (ranging from 0.2 to 4.7 mol C m−2) and gas exchange (0–1.7 mol C m−2) were combined to estimate early season net community production (sNCP; 0.2–5.9 mol C m−2) and then compared to organic matter inventories to estimate export. From a phytoplankton bloom dominated by Phaeocystis antarctica, a high fraction (up to ~60%) of sNCP was exported to sub-euphotic depths. Microbial respiration remineralized much of this export in the mid waters. Comparisons to short-term (2–3 days) drifting traps and a year-long moored sediment trap capturing the downward flux confirmed that a relatively high fraction (3–6%) of the export from ~100 m made it through the mid waters to depth. We discuss the climate-sensitive nature of these carbon fluxes, in light of the changing sea ice cover and melting ice sheets in the region.Part of an Elementa Special Feature ASPIRE: The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition</p