Trophic interactions with heterotrophic bacteria limit the range of Prochlorococcus
Name
pnas.2110993118.pdf
Description
Published version
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2.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
00fe788215b83412f6f1b8200c5c8335
Author(s)
Follett, Christopher L
Dutkiewicz, Stephanie
Ribalet, François
Zakem, Emily
Caron, David
Armbrust, E Virginia
Follows, Michael J
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Citation
Follett, Christopher L, Dutkiewicz, Stephanie, Ribalet, François, Zakem, Emily, Caron, David et al. 2022. "Trophic interactions with heterotrophic bacteria limit the range of Prochlorococcus." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119 (2).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Significance
Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth and is thought to be confined to low-latitude regions by its requirement for warm waters. Latitudinal transects in the North Pacific, however, demonstrate that the poleward decrease of this species occurs across a wide range of temperatures. An additional mechanism is likely required. We use theory, computational models, and additional observational data to suggest that the poleward decrease is caused by an ecological interaction: a shared predator which consumes both Prochlorococcus and similar-sized heterotrophic bacteria. Understanding the fate of this organism requires a knowledge of the interconnected ecosystem of other organisms, where both direct and indirect interactions control community structure.
Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth and is thought to be confined to low-latitude regions by its requirement for warm waters. Latitudinal transects in the North Pacific, however, demonstrate that the poleward decrease of this species occurs across a wide range of temperatures. An additional mechanism is likely required. We use theory, computational models, and additional observational data to suggest that the poleward decrease is caused by an ecological interaction: a shared predator which consumes both Prochlorococcus and similar-sized heterotrophic bacteria. Understanding the fate of this organism requires a knowledge of the interconnected ecosystem of other organisms, where both direct and indirect interactions control community structure.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2110993118
