Blooms of gelatinous zooplankton represent rapid and significant build-up of protein-rich biomass, inducing major perturbation to the marine ecosystem. These blooms often collapse en masse leading to a release of large amount of labile detrital organic matter (OM) into ambient seawater. We conducted two microcosms experiments, simulating the scenario experienced by coastal bacterial communities after the decay of the jellyfish (Aurelia aurita s.l.) and ctenophore (Mnemiopsis leidyi) bloom in the northern Adriatic Sea. Despite fundamental genetic, biochemical and life history differences between the two gelatinous organisms, high similarities in the metabolic responses of the ambient bacterial communities were observed. Combined metagenomics and metaproteomics analysis revealed that the bacterial consortium degrading both types of gelatinous detritus was dominated by Pseudoalteromonas exhibiting high production of proteolytic exoenzymes and elevated metabolic activity. Interestingly, despite the two experiments were carried out in different years, we were able to reconstruct an almost identical metagenome-assembled genome (nucleic identity >99%) of Pseudoalteromonas phenolica dominating both datasets. Taken together our data suggest that similar to well-studied phytoplankton, also gelatinous blooms likely trigger a consistent response of natural bacterial communities, however, supporting faster growth rates and higher bacterial growth efficiency than phytoplankton-derived OM.
Primary Presenter: Tinkara Tinta, National Institute of Biology (tinkaratinta@gmail.com)
Authors:
Tinkara Tinta, Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Piran, Slovenia (tinkara.tinta@nib.si)
Eduard Fadeev, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (eduard.fadeev@univie.ac.at)
Gerhard Herndl, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (gerhard.herndl@univie.ac.at)
DECAY OF GELATINOUS ZOOPLANKTON BLOOMS TRIGGERS CONSISTENT METABOLIC REPONSE OF SPECIFIC BACTERIAL TAXA IN COASTAL MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
Category
Scientific Sessions > SS056 Jellyfish in the Changing Ocean
Description
Time: 06:30 PM
Date: 7/6/2023
Room: Mezzanine