16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and TEM reveals different ecological strategies within the genus Neogloboquadrina (planktonic foraminifer)

CB was supported on a Daphne Jackson Fellowship sponsored by Natural Environmental Research Council (www.nerc.ac.uk) and the University of Edinburgh via the Daphne Jackson Trust. Field collections were supported by the National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov) grant number OCE-1261519 to ADR and JSF.Uncovering the complexities of trophic and metabolic interactions among microorganisms is essential for the understanding of marine biogeochemical cycling and modelling climate-driven ecosystem shifts. High-throughput DNA sequencing methods provide valuable tools for examining these complex interactions, although this remains challenging, as many microorganisms are difficult to isolate, identify and culture. We use two species of planktonic foraminifera from the climatically susceptible, palaeoceanographically important genus Neogloboquadrina, as ideal test microorganisms for the application of 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and Neogloboquadrina incompta were collected from the California Current and subjected to either 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding, fluorescence microscopy, or transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate their species-specific trophic interactions and potential symbiotic associations. 53–99% of 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from two specimens of N. dutertrei were assigned to a single operational taxonomic unit (OTU) from a chloroplast of the phylum Stramenopile. TEM observations confirmed the presence of numerous intact coccoid algae within the host cell, consistent with algal symbionts. Based on sequence data and observed ultrastructure, we taxonomically assign the putative algal symbionts to Pelagophyceae and not Chrysophyceae, as previously reported in this species. In addition, our data shows that N. dutertrei feeds on protists within particulate organic matter (POM), but not on bacteria as a major food source. In total contrast, of OTUs recovered from three N. incompta specimens, 83–95% were assigned to bacterial classes Alteromonadales and Vibrionales of the order Gammaproteobacteria. TEM demonstrates that these bacteria are a food source, not putative symbionts. Contrary to the current view that non-spinose foraminifera are predominantly herbivorous, neither N. dutertrei nor N. incompta contained significant numbers of phytoplankton OTUs. We present an alternative view of their trophic interactions and discuss these results within the context of modelling global planktonic foraminiferal abundances in response to high-latitude climate change.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Effects of seafloor and laboratory dissolution on the Mg/Ca composition of Globigerinoides sacculifer and Orbulina universa tests - A laser ablation ICPMS microanalysis perspective

Partial or selective dissolution of planktonic foraminiferal tests on the seafloor has been shown to alter original test Mg/Ca compositions and thus may limit the accuracy of Mg/Ca-based thermometry for reconstructions of past sea surface temperatures. We have employed laser ablation ICPMS to determine the extent of dissolution-caused changes in Mg/Ca distribution across individual chamber walls of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer and Orbulina universa. G. sacculifer samples collected from a core-top depth transect in the NE Indian Ocean and laboratory dissolution experiments show little if any evidence of preferential removal of Mg-rich calcite layers by progressive dissolution of the tests. We attribute the absence of selective dissolution to the banded distribution of Mg across the chamber walls of these foraminiferal species and to the minimal presence of calcite crusts with relatively low-Mg composition on the outer surfaces of tests. Mg/Ca microanalyses of G. sacculifer from core-top samples further indicate that for samples collected above the calcite lysocline the effect of postdepositional dissolution on Mg/Ca sample mean values is minimal and within the uncertainty of Mg/Ca thermometry (i.e. ±0.4mmol/mol; ±0.8°C at ~28°C). Comparison with previously published results for G. sacculifer supports these observations. Simple modelling of G. sacculifer test dissolution indicates that selective removal of calcite with high-Mg/Ca values from within the final chamber of G. sacculifer test appears insufficient to cause the ~10% decrease in Mg/Ca values observed above calcite lysocline. These changes in test composition might be related to development/removal as a function of Δ[CO32-] of a thin diagenetic surface coating which has a relatively high-Mg/Ca composition (i.e. 20-25mmol/mol). © 2010 Elsevier B.V

Chemical composition of carbonate hardground cements

Trace metal and isotopic ratios, including some rare earth elements, Mg/Ca, manganese and strontium concentrations, δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, were analyzed in the carbonate cements from 17 Phanerozoic carbonate hardgrounds. The sensitivity of the geochemical signal to alteration depends on the geochemical analysis in question and the environmental water-rock ratio. Of these samples, only our modern sample has measurements consistent with primary precipitation from seawater; all other samples precipitated from chemically evolved seawater or were influenced by meteoric water, even if only minimally changed. The more recent samples from the Cenozoic had seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. The Mesozoic samples, in contrast, did not preserve seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, even though the Mg/Ca, δ¹⁸O, and δ¹³C values were consistent with precipitation from seawater. Finally, the Paleozoic samples preserved expected seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, though REE and δ¹⁸O suggest primary precipitation was from evolved seawater. Additionally, we place our results in the context of open vs. closed system precipitation using transects of the Mg/Ca ratios across individual cements. Overall, we stress that one geochemical measurement provides only a partial record of fluid composition, but multiple measurements allow a potential understanding of the seawater geochemical signal