Seasonal Changes in Bacterioplankton Nutrient Limitation and Their Effects on Bacterial Community Composition in the NW Mediterranean Sea
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AQUATIC MICROBIAL ECOLOGY Vol. 44: 241–252, 2006 Published October 10 Aquat Microb Ecol OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Seasonal changes in bacterioplankton nutrient limitation and their effects on bacterial community composition in the NW Mediterranean Sea Jarone Pinhassi1,*, Laura Gómez-Consarnau1, Laura Alonso-Sáez2, Maria Montserrat Sala2, Montserrat Vidal3, Carlos Pedrós-Alió2, Josep M. Gasol2 1Marine Microbiology, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Kalmar, Barlastgatan 11, 39182 Kalmar, Sweden 2Institut de Ciències del Mar-CMIMA (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain 3Departament d’Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain ABSTRACT: Bacterioplankton growth is expected to depend on the availability of organic and in- organic nutrients. Still, no studies have investigated how the magnitude and type of nutrient limi- tation experienced by marine bacteria change on a temporal scale. We carried out a series of nutrient enrichment experiments to examine the variability in nutrient limitation of bacteria in the NW Mediterranean Sea, at monthly intervals, over an 18 mo period. Short-term enrichment bioassays (24 h incubation) showed that bacterial P limitation could occur throughout the year, but was most pronounced during spring and summer, coinciding with very low concentrations of dissolved in- organic phosphorus and chlorophyll a, and higher N:P ratios. During the non-stratified period in autumn and winter, bacteria were at times strongly C limited. Inorganic nitrogen limitation was not detected at any time. Long-term bioassays with and without enrichment, where growth was moni- tored until stationary phase using the seawater dilution culture approach, largely confirmed the results from the short-term bioassays. Analysis of the bacterial assemblages in these cultures, using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, suggested that the growth of some central components of the native bacterioplankton assemblage (i.e. specific Roseobacter and Flavobacteria phylotypes) was restricted due to the limited availability of P in spring and summer. We conclude that seasonal variability in the type and severity of nutrient limitation can substantially contribute to the regulation of bacterioplankton growth and community composition, and thereby affect the turnover of dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients in the sea. KEY WORDS: Marine bacteria · Nutrients · Bioassays · Seasonal variability · Diversity Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION dissolved inorganic nutrients in the photic zone of the sea are mainly regulated through physical mixing with Marine microbes experience seasonally changing deep water, e.g. autumn and winter overturn or growth conditions that eventually lead to differences upwelling, leading to increased concentrations and in the structuring of community composition over sea- biological consumption by microorganisms that leads sonal scales. Changes in inorganic nutrient availability to their depletion. The variation in nutrient regimes are of decisive importance for defining ocean primary affects phytoplankton production, diversity and suc- productivity and for regulating phytoplankton commu- cession (Smayda & Reynolds 2001, 2003), but an nity composition and succession. The concentrations of understanding of how seasonal changes in nutrient *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2006 · www.int-res.com 242 Aquat Microb Ecol 44: 241–252, 2006 availability affect bacterioplankton heterotrophic pro- different phytoplankton, indicating that dissolved duction and community composition is still lacking. organic matter from different algae select for different The primary limiting nutrient for bacterial growth bacteria (Pinhassi et al. 2004, Abell & Bowman 2005, differs between sea areas. It is generally assumed that Grossart et al. 2005). Further, experiments with estuarine growth of bacterioplankton in the Mediterranean Sea bacterioplankton show that different complex dissolved is limited by the availability of inorganic P (Zweifel et organic carbon sources selectively stimulate the al. 1993, Thingstad et al. 1998, 2005, Zohary & Robarts growth of specific phylotypes (Covert & Moran 2001, 1998, Sala et al. 2002, Tanaka et al. 2004, Pitta et al. Kisand & Wikner 2003). In North Sea and east Mediter- 2005), while, for example, the availability of organic C ranean seawater dilution cultures, enrichment with eas- or inorganic P or Fe can limit the growth of bacteria in ily degradable carbon sources (e.g. glucose) favored the the subarctic Pacific, the Sargasso Sea or Antarctica growth of Vibrio species (Eilers et al. 2000, Pinhassi & (Kirchman 1990, Pakulski et al. 1996, Cotner et al. Berman 2003). Also, the growth of Gammaproteobac- 1997, Rivkin & Anderson 1997). Considering the often teria was preferentially stimulated by Fe enrichment in large seasonal fluctuations in nutrient concentrations different seas where bacterial growth was limited by Fe in the sea, variability in the type of bacterial nutrient availability (Hutchins et al. 2001). These studies focused limitation can be expected (Sala et al. 2002). Indeed, it mainly on the selective role of organic matter on the has been speculated that inconsistent findings of C or P growth of specific bacteria, but also considered aspects limitation in the Sargasso Sea may be explained by of inorganic nutrient availability. Taken together, they temporal variability (Cotner et al. 1997, Carlson et al. suggest that changes in the availability of both organic 2002, 2004). Studies in freshwater environments have and inorganic nutrients could be important for defining shown substantial seasonal variability in bacterio- the composition of bacterial communities in the sea. plankton nutrient limitation in relation to nutrient In the present study, we carried out a series of nutri- availability, with bacterial growth responding primar- ent enrichment experiments to examine the extent of ily to P or combined P and C enrichments (Morris & organic and/or inorganic nutrient limitation of marine Lewis 1992, Carlsson & Caron 2001). However, in the bacterioplankton in a defined coastal marine area over sea, little is known about the temporal variability in the an 18 mo period. To estimate nutrient limitation, we kind and extent of nutrient limitation experienced by used 2 complementary bioassay approaches that are bacterioplankton and its consequences in terms of frequently used to investigate bacterial growth char- regulating bacterial growth. acteristics (see Pinhassi & Berman 2003 for details Because heterotrophic bacteria are the major con- of methodologies). Short-term enrichment bioassays sumers of dissolved organic matter in the aquatic envi- (24 h incubation) were used to estimate the immediate ronment, limitation of bacterial growth by organic or growth response of the bacteria. Long-term bioassays, inorganic nutrients can have important consequences whereby growth was monitored until stationary phase in terms of biogeochemical C cycling. For example, using the seawater dilution culture approach, allowed modeling, experimental, and in situ results all show us to evaluate how differences in nutrient availability that labile DOC can accumulate when bacteria are lim- affected particular members of the bacterioplankton ited by inorganic nutrients (Zweifel et al. 1995, assemblage. It was hypothesized that differences in Thingstad et al. 1997, 1999), which may occur for the composition of the bacterial assemblage develop- example in the P limited Baltic Sea in summer (Zweifel ing in seawater cultures with and without nutrient et al. 1995). In the Sargasso Sea, DOC also accumu- enrichment would depend on the type and extent of in lates in summer (Carlson et al. 1994, 2002). In this sea, situ nutrient limitation. however, bacteria are limited by the availability of organic C in summer, and labile DOC is continuously taken up by bacteria while semilabile DOC resistant to MATERIALS AND METHODS rapid degradation by bacteria accumulates (Carlson et al. 2002, 2004). Thus, bacterial nutrient limitation may In situ sampling. NW Mediterranean Sea water from define whether DOC accumulated in surface waters is 0.5 m depth was collected at monthly intervals labile or not. This has important consequences in the between 28 January 2003 and 19 July 2004 (see long term for defining the quality of DOC that is Table 1), 1 km off the coast in the Bay of Blanes (The exported to deep waters by convective processes Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory, 41° 40’ N, 2° 48’ E, (Murray et al. 1994) and in the short term for determin- 60 km north of Barcelona, Spain). Water was filtered ing the ability of bacteria to take advantage of pulses of through a 200 µm mesh net, collected in a 25 l polycar- inorganic nutrients (Hagström et al. 2001). bonate bottle (Nalgene), and brought to the laboratory Bacterioplankton community structure changes re- for processing within 3 h. For convenience, the sam- latively fast in response to the growth and decay of pling on 4 March 2003 is referred to as ‘February Pinhassi et al.: Seasonality in bacterioplankton nutrient limitation 243 2003’, to avoid confusion with the sampling on 25 the leucine incorporation data. Such delays in increase March 2003 (i.e. ‘March 2003’). in bacterial abundance compared to leucine incor- Chlorophyll a (chl a). Chl a was measured fluoro- poration