Elferink Stephanie, John Uwe, Neuhaus Stefan, Wohlrab Sylke
Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Ammerländer Heerstraße 231, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.
Microorganisms. 2020 Apr 15;8(4):567. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8040567.
Dinoflagellates and diatoms are among the most prominent microeukaryotic plankton groups, and they have evolved different functional traits reflecting their roles within ecosystems. However, links between their metabolic processes and functional traits within different environmental contexts warrant further study. The functional biodiversity of dinoflagellates and diatoms was accessed with metatranscriptomics using Pfam protein domains as proxies for functional processes. Despite the overall geographic similarity of functional responses, abiotic (i.e., temperature and salinity; ~800 Pfam domains) and biotic (i.e., taxonomic group; ~1500 Pfam domains) factors influencing particular functional responses were identified. Salinity and temperature were identified as the main drivers of community composition. Higher temperatures were associated with an increase of Pfam domains involved in energy metabolism and a decrease of processes associated with translation and the sulfur cycle. Salinity changes were correlated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (e.g., terpenoids and polyketides) and signal transduction processes, indicating an overall strong effect on the biota. The abundance of dinoflagellates was positively correlated with nitrogen metabolism, vesicular transport and signal transduction, highlighting their link to biotic interactions (more so than diatoms) and suggesting the central role of species interactions in the evolution of dinoflagellates. Diatoms were associated with metabolites (e.g., isoprenoids and carotenoids), as well as lysine degradation, which highlights their ecological role as important primary producers and indicates the physiological importance of these metabolic pathways for diatoms in their natural environment. These approaches and gathered information will support ecological questions concerning the marine ecosystem state and metabolic interactions in the marine environment.
甲藻和硅藻是最显著的微型真核浮游生物群体之一，它们进化出了不同的功能特征，以反映它们在生态系统中的作用。然而，在不同环境背景下，它们的代谢过程与功能特征之间的联系仍有待进一步研究。利用Pfam蛋白结构域作为功能过程的代理，通过宏转录组学研究了甲藻和硅藻的功能生物多样性。尽管功能反应在总体地理上具有相似性，但已确定了影响特定功能反应的非生物因素（即温度和盐度；约800个Pfam结构域）和生物因素（即分类群；约1500个Pfam结构域）。盐度和温度被确定为群落组成的主要驱动因素。较高的温度与参与能量代谢的Pfam结构域增加以及与翻译和硫循环相关的过程减少有关。盐度变化与次生代谢物（如萜类化合物和聚酮化合物）的生物合成以及信号转导过程相关，表明对生物群有总体强烈影响。甲藻的丰度与氮代谢、囊泡运输和信号转导呈正相关，突出了它们与生物相互作用的联系（比硅藻更明显），并表明物种相互作用在甲藻进化中的核心作用。硅藻与代谢物（如类异戊二烯和类胡萝卜素）以及赖氨酸降解有关，这突出了它们作为重要初级生产者的生态作用，并表明这些代谢途径对硅藻在其自然环境中的生理重要性。这些方法和收集到的信息将有助于解答有关海洋生态系统状态和海洋环境中代谢相互作用的生态学问题。
