Structure of microbial communities in phosphorus-limited estuaries along the eastern Adriatic coast
Solic, M.; Krstulovic, N.; Santic, D.; Sestanovic, S.; Ordulj, M.; Bojanic, N.; Kuspilic, G. (2015). Structure of microbial communities in phosphorus-limited estuaries along the eastern Adriatic coast. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 95(8): 1565-1578. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315415000442
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
Also appears in:Sukhotin, A.; Frost, M.; Hummel, H. (Ed.) (2015). Proceedings of the 49th European Marine Biology Symposium September 8-12, 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 95(8). Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. 1517-1721 pp., more
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| Author keywords |
microbial food web; picoplankton; nanoplankton; viruses; ciliates;estuarine environment; P-limited environment; Adriatic Sea |
| Authors | | Top |
- Solic, M., more
- Krstulovic, N., more
- Santic, D.
- Sestanovic, S., more
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- Ordulj, M.
- Bojanic, N.
- Kuspilic, G.
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| Abstract |
The structure of the microbial food web was studied in six estuary areas along the eastern Adriatic coast during March, July and October 2012. Limitation by phosphorus, not nitrogen, was a common feature for all studied estuaries. Heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic picoplankton (APP) (particularly picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus) can reach notable abundances and biomasses, suggesting potential importance of the picoplankton community in P-limited estuarine environments. The main features of the microbial community structure in these environments included: (1) higher heterotrophic biomass in comparison to autotrophic biomass within the picoplankton community; (2) general domination of picoeukaryotes within the APP community, and increase of absolute and relative biomass of prokaryotic autotrophs (Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus) in the total APP in P-limited conditions; (3) domination of Synechococcus over Prochlorococcus biomass in all studied conditions, and common spatial distribution of these two groups of cyanobacteria, which was mostly determined by concentration of phosphorus; (4) relatively high contribution (about 50%) of LNA bacteria in the total bacterial abundance; and (5) relatively high contribution (about 33%) of heterotrophic pico-flagellates in the total flagellate abundance. |
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