Mikel Latasa

Bio: Mikel Latasa is an academic researcher from Spanish National Research Council. The author has contributed to research in topics: Phytoplankton & Upwelling. The author has an hindex of 38, co-authored 86 publications receiving 6445 citations. Previous affiliations of Mikel Latasa include University of Hawaii at Manoa & University of Hawaii.

Testing the iron hypothesis in ecosystems of the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Abstract: The idea that iron might limit phytoplankton growth in large regions of the ocean has been tested by enriching an area of 64 km2 in the open equatorial Pacific Ocean with iron This resulted in a doubling of plant biomass, a threefold increase in chlorophyll and a fourfold increase in plant production Similar increases were found in a chlorophyll-rich plume down-stream of the Galapagos Islands, which was naturally enriched in iron These findings indicate that iron limitation can control rates of phytoplankton productivity and biomass in the ocean

A single species, Micromonas pusilla (Prasinophyceae), dominates the eukaryotic picoplankton in the Western English Channel.

Abstract: The class Prasinophyceae (Chlorophyta) contains several photosynthetic picoeukaryotic species described from cultured isolates. The ecology of these organisms and their contributions to the picoeukaryotic community in aquatic ecosystems have received little consideration. We have designed and tested eight new 18S ribosomal DNA oligonucleotide probes specific for different Prasinophyceae clades, genera, and species. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization associated with tyramide signal amplification, these probes, along with more general probes, have been applied to samples from a marine coastal site off Roscoff (France) collected every 2 weeks between July 2000 and September 2001. The abundance of eukaryotic picoplankton remained high (>103 cells ml−1) during the sampling period, with maxima in summer (up to 2 × 104 cells ml−1), and a single green algal species, Micromonas pusilla (Prasinophyceae), dominated the community all year round. Members of the order Prasinococcales and the species Bathycoccus prasinos (Mamiellales) displayed sporadic occurrences, while the abundances of all other Prasinophyceae groups targeted remained negligible.

Targeted metagenomics and ecology of globally important uncultured eukaryotic phytoplankton

Abstract: Among eukaryotes, four major phytoplankton lineages are responsible for marine photosynthesis; prymnesiophytes, alveolates, stramenopiles, and prasinophytes. Contributions by individual taxa, however, are not well known, and genomes have been analyzed from only the latter two lineages. Tiny “picoplanktonic” members of the prymnesiophyte lineage have long been inferred to be ecologically important but remain poorly characterized. Here, we examine pico-prymnesiophyte evolutionary history and ecology using cultivation-independent methods. 18S rRNA gene analysis showed pico-prymnesiophytes belonged to broadly distributed uncultivated taxa. Therefore, we used targeted metagenomics to analyze uncultured pico-prymnesiophytes sorted by flow cytometry from subtropical North Atlantic waters. The data reveal a composite nuclear-encoded gene repertoire with strong green-lineage affiliations, which contrasts with the evolutionary history indicated by the plastid genome. Measured pico-prymnesiophyte growth rates were rapid in this region, resulting in primary production contributions similar to the cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus. On average, pico-prymnesiophytes formed 25% of global picophytoplankton biomass, with differing contributions in five biogeographical provinces spanning tropical to subpolar systems. Elements likely contributing to success include high gene density and genes potentially involved in defense and nutrient uptake. Our findings have implications reaching beyond pico-prymnesiophytes, to the prasinophytes and stramenopiles. For example, prevalence of putative Ni-containing superoxide dismutases (SODs), instead of Fe-containing SODs, seems to be a common adaptation among eukaryotic phytoplankton for reducing Fe quotas in low-Fe modern oceans. Moreover, highly mosaic gene repertoires, although compositionally distinct for each major eukaryotic lineage, now seem to be an underlying facet of successful marine phytoplankton.

Genome analysis of the proteorhodopsin-containing marine bacterium Polaribacter sp. MED152 (Flavobacteria)

Abstract: Analysis of marine cyanobacteria and proteobacteria genomes has provided a profound understanding of the life strategies of these organisms and their ecotype differentiation and metabolisms. However, a comparable analysis of the Bacteroidetes, the third major bacterioplankton group, is still lacking. In the present paper, we report on the genome of Polaribacter sp. strain MED152. On the one hand, MED152 contains a substantial number of genes for attachment to surfaces or particles, gliding motility, and polymer degradation. This agrees with the currently assumed life strategy of marine Bacteroidetes. On the other hand, it contains the proteorhodopsin gene, together with a remarkable suite of genes to sense and respond to light, which may provide a survival advantage in the nutrient-poor sun-lit ocean surface when in search of fresh particles to colonize. Furthermore, an increase in CO2 fixation in the light suggests that the limited central metabolism is complemented by anaplerotic inorganic carbon fixation. This is mediated by a unique combination of membrane transporters and carboxylases. This suggests a dual life strategy that, if confirmed experimentally, would be notably different from what is known of the two other main bacterial groups (the autotrophic cyanobacteria and the heterotrophic proteobacteria) in the surface oceans. The Polaribacter genome provides insights into the physiological capabilities of proteorhodopsin-containing bacteria. The genome will serve as a model to study the cellular and molecular processes in bacteria that express proteorhodopsin, their adaptation to the oceanic environment, and their role in carbon-cycling.

Biological response to iron fertilization in the eastern equatorial Pacific (IronEx II). III. Dynamics of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing

Abstract: Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing were investigated during the IronEx II mesoscale enrichment experiment using the seawater dilution technique combined with group-specific pigment markers. Growth rate estimates for the phytoplankton community increased greater than or equal to 2-fold, from 0.6 d(-1) in the ambient environment to 1.2-1.6 d(-1) in the iron-enhanced bloom. Grazing lagged growth, allowing phytoplankton biomass to accumulate at a high rate (similar to 0.8 d(-1)) initially. However, grazing mortality ultimately increased 3- to 4-fold to 1.2-1.4 d(-1), largely balancing growth by Day 6 of the experiment. Increased rates were broadly distributed among phytoplankton taxa, but they differed in timing. Whereas picophytoplankton showed more of a steady balance between growth and grazing, increasing grazing pressure on diatoms followed a 3-5-fold increase in larger (>20 mu m) heterotrophic dinoflagellates and ciliates, which grew in response to enhanced diatom biomass. In the ambient environment, phytoplankton production was 15 to 20 mu g C l(-1) d(-1), with diatoms accounting for 17 % of growth and 7 % of grazing losses. Total phytoplankton production increased to 150-200 mu g C l(-1) d(-1) at the peak of the patch bloom, where 79 % of growth and 55 % of microzooplankton grazing involved diatoms. Phytoplankton grazing mortality was significantly correlated with grazer biovolume, and high carbon-specific grazing estimates at the bloom peak indicated growth rates similar to 1.0 d(-1) for the heterotrophic community and up to 1.4 d(-1) for >20 mu m heterotrophs. During several days when high phytoplankton biomass was relatively constant in the patch bloom, the pennate diatom dominated the community and remained physiologically healthy and growing at a fast rate, even though nutrient conditions were suboptimal. Efficient cropping of diatoms by large protistan grazers and rapid remineralization of iron and biogenic silica were required to maintain this dynamic balance. Contrary to expectations, the carbon export ratio did not increase with the iron-induced diatom bloom. Thus, mesoscale iron-enrichment of high-nutrient, low chlorophyll waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific clearly demonstrated that phytoplankton growth rates and standing stocks were iron-limited. However, the food web also demonstrated a remarkable resiliency to environmental perturbation by establishing a new balance in which the essential features of a microzooplankton-dominated, low export system were maintained.

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Ecology of Phytoplankton

Abstract: Communities of microscopic plant life, or phytoplankton, dominate the Earth's aquatic ecosystems. This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology and population dynamics of phytoplankton communities in lakes and rivers and oceans. It provides basic information on composition, morphology and physiology of the main phyletic groups represented in marine and freshwater systems and in addition reviews recent advances in community ecology, developing an appreciation of assembly processes, co-existence and competition, disturbance and diversity. Although focussed on one group of organisms, the book develops many concepts relevant to ecology in the broadest sense, and as such will appeal to graduate students and researchers in ecology, limnology and oceanography.

A mesoscale phytoplankton bloom in the polar Southern Ocean stimulated by iron fertilization

Abstract: Changes in iron supply to oceanic plankton are thought to have a significant effect on concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide by altering rates of carbon sequestration, a theory known as the 'iron hypothesis' For this reason, it is important to understand the response of pelagic biota to increased iron supply Here we report the results of a mesoscale iron fertilization experiment in the polar Southern Ocean, where the potential to sequester iron-elevated algal carbon is probably greatest Increased iron supply led to elevated phytoplankton biomass and rates of photosynthesis in surface waters, causing a large drawdown of carbon dioxide and macronutrients, and elevated dimethyl sulphide levels after 13 days This drawdown was mostly due to the proliferation of diatom stocks But downward export of biogenic carbon was not increased Moreover, satellite observations of this massive bloom 30 days later, suggest that a sufficient proportion of the added iron was retained in surface waters Our findings demonstrate that iron supply controls phytoplankton growth and community composition during summer in these polar Southern Ocean waters, but the fate of algal carbon remains unknown and depends on the interplay between the processes controlling export, remineralisation and timescales of water mass subduction

A massive phytoplankton bloom induced by an ecosystem-scale iron fertilization experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Abstract: The seeding of an expanse of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean with low concentrations of dissolved iron triggered a massive phytoplankton bloom which consumed large quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrate that these microscopic plants cannot fully utilize under natural conditions. These and other observations provide unequivocal support for the hypothesis that phytoplankton growth in this oceanic region is limited by iron bioavailability.