Phytoplankton strongly interact with their associated bacteria, both attached (PA), and free-living (FL), and bacterial community structures can be specific to phytoplankton species. Similarly, ...responses to environmental stressors can vary by taxon, as exemplified by observed shifts in phytoplankton community structure from diatoms to phytoflagellates after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Here, we assess the extent to which associated bacteria influence the phytoplankton taxon-specific oil response by exposing xenic and axenic strains of three phytoplankton species to oil and/or dispersant. The dinoflagellates
and
, and the diatom
sp., all harbored significantly distinct bacterial communities that reflected their host oil response. Oil degrading bacteria were detected in both PA and FL communities of the oil resistant dinoflagellates, but their FL bacteria were more efficient in lipid hydrolysis, a proxy for oil degradation capability. Inversely, the growth rate and photosynthetic parameters of the diatom
sp. was the most impacted by dispersed oil compared to the dinoflagellates, and oil-degrading bacteria were not significantly associated to its microbiome, even in the dispersed oil treatment. Moreover, the FL bacteria of
did not show significant oil degradation. Yet, the lack of consistent significant differences in growth or photosynthetic parameters between the xenic and axenic cultures after oil exposure suggest that, physiologically, the associated bacteria do not modify the phytoplankton oil response. Instead, both oil resistance and phycosphere composition appear to be species-specific characteristics that are not causally linked. This study explores one aspect of what is undoubtedly a complex suite of interactions between phytoplankton and their associated bacteria; future analyses would benefit from studies of genes and metabolites that mediate algal-bacterial exchanges.
By coupling DNA-SIP and pyrosequencing approaches, we identified Cycloclasticus sp. as a keystone degrader of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) despite being a member of the ‘rare biosphere’ in ...NW Mediterranean seawaters. We discovered novel PAH-degrading bacteria (Oceanibaculum sp., Sneathiella sp.) and we identified other groups already known to possess this function (Alteromonas sp., Paracoccus sp.). Together with Cycloclasticus sp., these groups contributed to potential in situ phenanthrene degradation at a rate >0.5 mg l−1 day−1, sufficient to account for a considerable part of PAH degradation. Further, we characterized the PAH-tolerant bacterial communities, which were much more diverse in the polluted site by comparison to unpolluted marine references. PAH-tolerant bacteria were also members of the rare biosphere, such as Glaciecola sp. Collectively, these data show the complex interactions between PAH-degraders and PAH-tolerant bacteria and provide new insights for the understanding of the functional ecology of marine bacteria in polluted waters.
•We surveyed the PAH-degraders and the PAH-tolerant bacteria in coastal seawaters.•Coupling DNA stable isotope probing and pyrosequencing approaches.•Identification of keystone PAH-degraders, discovering novel PAH-degrading bacteria.•Rare bacterial biosphere as a ‘seed bank’ to withstand marine oil spill events.
Capsule: Role of the rare biosphere as a ‘seed bank’ to support the environment to withstand pollution events. Identification of keystone PAH-degraders and PAH-tolerant bacteria.
The aim of this study is to understand the biogeochemical cycles of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (NW Med), where a recurrent spring bloom related to dense water formation occurs. We used a ...coupled physical‐biogeochemical model at high resolution to simulate realistic 1 year period and analyze the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles. First, the model was evaluated using cruises carried out in winter, spring, and summer and a Bio‐Argo float deployed in spring. Then, the annual cycle of meteorological and hydrodynamical forcing and nutrients stocks in the upper layer were analyzed. Third, the effect of biogeochemical and physical processes on N and P was quantified. Fourth, we quantified the effects of the physical and biological processes on the seasonal changes of the molar NO3:PO4 ratio, particularly high compared to the global ocean. The deep convection reduced the NO3:PO4 ratio of upper waters, but consumption by phytoplankton increased it. Finally, N and P budgets were estimated. At the annual scale, this area constituted a sink of inorganic and a source of organic N and P for the peripheral area. NO3 and PO4 were horizontally advected from the peripheral regions into the intermediate waters (130–800 m) of the deep convection area, while organic matter was exported throughout the whole water column toward the surrounding areas. The annual budget suggests that the NW Med deep convection constitutes a major source of nutrients for the photic zone of the Mediterranean Sea.
Key Points
Modeling of annual nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in the northwestern Mediterranean deep convection region for the period 2012–2013
The deep convection area was a sink of inorganic matter and a source of organic matter for the surrounding area over the period 2012–2013
The N:P ratio in the surface layer is submitted to drastic variations during deep convection and bloom transition periods
Deep ultraviolet (DUV) photoluminescence (PL) microimaging is an emerging approach to characterise materials from historical artefacts (see M. Thoury, J.-P. Echard, M. Réfrégiers, B. H. Berrie, A. ...Nevin, F. Jamme and L. Bertrand,
Anal. Chem.
, 2011,
83
, 1737-1745). Here we further assess the potential of the method to access a deeper understanding of multi-layered varnishes coating wooden violins and lutes. Cross-section micro samples from important 16
th
- to 18
th
-century instruments were investigated using synchrotron PL microimaging and microspectroscopy. Excitation was performed in the DUV and the near ultraviolet (NUV) regions, and emission recorded from the DUV to the visible region, at a submicrometric spatial resolution. Intercomparison of microspectroscopy and microimaging was made possible by radiometrically correcting PL spectra both in excitation and emission. Based on an optimised selection of emission and excitation bands, the specific PL features of the organic binding materials allowed a vastly enhanced discrimination between collagen-based sizing layers and oil/resin-based layers compared to epiluminescence microscopy. PL therefore appears to be a very promising analytical tool to provide new insights into the diversity of surface coating techniques used by instrument-makers. More generally, our results demonstrate the potential of synchrotron PL for studying complex heterogeneous materials beyond the core application of the technique to life sciences.
Collagen-based materials in historical coatings were characterised and imaged at the sub-micrometer scale using synchrotron DUV luminescence microspectroscopy and spectro-imaging.
A 3‐D high‐resolution coupled hydrodynamic‐biogeochemical model of the western Mediterranean was used to study phytoplankton dynamics and organic carbon export in three regions with contrasting ...vertical regimes, ranging from deep convection to a shallow mixed layer. One month after the initial increase in surface chlorophyll (caused by the erosion of the deep chlorophyll maximum), the autumnal bloom was triggered in all three regions by the upward flux of nutrients resulting from mixed layer deepening. In contrast, at the end of winter, the end of turbulent mixing favored the onset of the spring bloom in the deep convection region. Low grazing pressure allowed rapid phytoplankton growth during the bloom. Primary production in the shallow mixed layer region, the Algerian subbasin, was characterized by a long period (4 months) of sustained phytoplankton development, unlike the deep convection region where primary production was inhibited during 2 months in winter. Despite seasonal variations, annual primary production in all three regions is similar. In the deep convection region, total organic carbon export below the photic layer (150 m) and transfer to deep waters (800 m) was 5 and 8 times, respectively, higher than in the Algerian subbasin. Although some of the exported material will be injected back into the surface layer during the next convection event, lateral transport, and strong interannual variability of MLD in this region suggest that a significant amount of exported material is effectively sequestrated.
Key Points
Phytoplankton dynamics and organic carbon export are compared in three Mediterranean regions, differentiated by the mixed layer depth
Despite a subpolar regime in the north and a subtropical regime in the south, annual primary production is similar in the studied regions
Organic carbon export below 150 (800) m was 4–5 (3–8) times higher in convective regions than in the stratified region, in 2012/2013
Summary
Open‐ocean convection is a fundamental process for thermohaline circulation and biogeochemical cycles that causes spectacular mixing of the water column. Here, we tested how much the ...depth‐stratified prokaryotic communities were influenced by such an event, and also by the following re‐stratification. The deep convection event (0–1500 m) that occurred in winter 2010–2011 in the NW Mediterranean Sea resulted in a homogenization of the prokaryotic communities over the entire convective cell, resulting in the predominance of typical surface Bacteria, such as Oceanospirillale and Flavobacteriales. Statistical analysis together with numerical simulation of vertical homogenization evidenced that physical turbulence only was not enough to explain the new distribution of the communities, but acted in synergy with other parameters such as exported particulate and dissolved organic matters. The convection also stimulated prokaryotic abundance (+21%) and heterotrophic production (+43%) over the 0–1500 m convective cell, and resulted in a decline of cell‐specific extracellular enzymatic activities (−67%), thus suggesting an intensification of the labile organic matter turnover during the event. The rapid re‐stratification of the prokaryotic diversity and activities in the intermediate layer 5 days after the intense mixing indicated a marked resilience of the communities, apart from the residual deep mixed water patch.
The 2009–2010 period was marked by an episode of intense drought known as the El Niño Modoki event. Sampling of the Términos Lagoon (Mexico) was carried out in November 2009 in order to understand ...the influence of these particular environmental conditions on organic matter fluxes within the lagoon's pelagic ecosystem and, more specifically, on the relationship between phyto- and bacterioplankton communities. The measurements presented here concern biogeochemical parameters (nutrients, dissolved and particulate organic matter POM, and dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs), phytoplankton (biomass and photosynthesis), and bacteria (diversity and abundance, including PAH degradation bacteria and ectoenzymatic activities). During the studied period, the water column of the Términos Lagoon functioned globally as a sink and, more precisely, as a nitrogen assimilator. This was due to the high production of particulate and dissolved organic matter (DOM), even though exportation of autochthonous matter to the Gulf of Mexico was weak. We found that bottom-up control accounted for a large portion of the variability of phytoplankton productivity. Nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry mostly accounted for the heterogeneity in phytoplankton and free-living prokaryote distribution in the lagoon. In the eastern part, we found a clear decoupling between areas enriched in dissolved inorganic nitrogen near the Puerto Real coastal inlet and areas enriched in phosphate (PO4) near the Candelaria estuary. Such a decoupling limited the potential for primary production, resulting in an accumulation of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON, respectively) near the river mouths. In the western part of the lagoon, maximal phytoplankton development resulted from bacterial activity transforming particulate organic phosphorus (PP) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) to available PO4 and the coupling between Palizada River inputs of nitrate (NO3) and PP. The Chumpan River contributed only marginally to PO4 inputs due to its very low contribution to overall river inputs. The highest dissolved total PAH concentrations were measured in the El Carmen Inlet, suggesting that the anthropogenic pollution of the zone is probably related to the oil-platform exploitation activities in the shallow waters of the southern of the Gulf of Mexico. We also found that a complex array of biogeochemical and phytoplanktonic parameters were the driving force behind the geographical distribution of bacterial community structure and activities. Finally, we showed that nutrients brought by the Palizada River supported an abundant bacterial community of PAH degraders, which are of significance in this important oil-production zone.
Les épisodes de convection en milieu hauturier sont des processus physiques hivernaux récurrents, mais irréguliers, ayant un fort pouvoir perturbateur sur l’écosystème pélagique. Les principaux ...objectifs de ma thèse ont été d’étudier l’influence d’épisodes de convection en Méditerranée Nord Occidentale sur les cycles biogéochimiques (distribution et bilan des sels nutritifs) et d’évaluer leurs impacts sur le compartiment microbien (abondance, activité et diversité). Ces travaux reposent sur mon implication active dans les campagnes océanographiques CASCADE (mars 2011) et DeWEX (février et avril 2013) qui s’inscrivent dans le cadre du chantier Méditerranée Mistrals (WP3 et WP1 respectivement du programme MermEX). Nous avons estimé que les apports en sels nutritifs lors d’un seul phénomène de convection de "moyenne envergure" étaient équivalents aux apports annuels des rivières et des dépôts atmosphériques à l’échelle du golfe du Lion, et pourraient soutenir une production primaire nouvelle de l'ordre de 46 à 63 g C.m-2.a-1 (i.e. l'ordre de grandeur de la production nouvelle annuelle de la zone). Une approche satellitale nous a permis de suivre l’évolution de plusieurs épisodes de convection et de mettre en évidence un étroit couplage entre ce type de forçage physique et le développement de blooms phytoplanctoniques en Méditerranée Nord Occidentale. Pour aborder le rôle des microorganismes dans la régulation des cycles biogéochimiques en réponse à ces épisodes de convection, nous avons identifié l’influence relative des forçages physico-chimiques sur les changements de diversité des communautés microbiennes (bactéries et archées identifiées par pyroséquençage), ceci en relation avec leur activité de reminéralisation de la matière organique. Nous avons également utilisé les épisodes de convection pour évaluer la pertinence écologique des écotypes de SAR11, Marine group I et Marine group II, les 3 groupes taxonomiques les plus répandus et abondants en Méditerranée et dans tous les océans du monde. Ces travaux ont permis de proposer des scénarii cohérents de l'évolution potentielle des écosystèmes pélagiques en Méditerranée Nord Occidentale dans un contexte de changement climatique global. En effet, mon étude est une contribution à la compréhension de la réponse potentielle des écosystèmes pélagiques à la modification attendue de la fréquence et/ou de l'intensité des processus de convection.
Open-ocean convection episodes are recurrent winter physical processes, but irregular in intensity, with a strong disruptive effect on the pelagic ecosystem. My principal thesis objectives were to study the influence of the Northwestern Mediterranean convection on the biogeochemical cycles (nutrient distribution and assessment), and to evaluate their impacts on the microbial compartment (abundance, activity and diversity). This work was based on my active participation to the oceanographic cruises CASCADE (March 2011) and DeWEX (February and April 2013), which are incorporated in the framework of Mistral Mediterranean project (respectively in the WP3 and WP1 of MermEX program). We estimated that the nutrient supply by a single convection episode of “average-scale” was equivalent to the annual riverine discharges and atmospheric deposition in the golf of Lion. This could sustain a new primary production from 46 to 63 g C.m-2.a-1 (i.e. the annual new primary production rate of this area). A remote sensing approach allowed us to follow open-ocean convection episodes evolution, and to highlight the close relationship between this kind of physical forcing and the phytoplanktonic bloom development in the Northwestern Mediterranean. During the study of the impact of convection episodes on the role of microorganisms in the biogeochemical cycles regulation, we determined the influence of physical parameters and environmental factors on the modification of the microbial community diversity (pyrosequencing of Bacteria and Archaea), in relation with organic matter mineralization. Besides, we used convection mixing as a model to evaluate the ecological pertinence of SAR11, Marine group I and Marine Group II ecotypes, 3 taxonomic groups the most widespread and abundant in Mediterranean and in all the oceans. In a climate change context, my works allowed us to propose different coherent scenarios of the potential evolution of the Northwestern Mediterranean pelagic ecosystems. My study contribute to the understanding of the pelagic ecosystem evolution with the predictable modifications in frequency and/or intensity of open-ocean convection processes.
The contamination of water bodies and water pollution with pharmaceuticals are global issues receiving increasing attention, stemming from population growth and the resultant rises in pharmaceutical ...consumption, disposal, and excretion. However, little is known about how emerging classes of pharmaceuticals, in particular nanopharmaceuticals, influence water bodies and organisms living in them. In this work, we investigate the interactions of paclitaxel-loaded nanomedicine with freshwater algae
Raphidocelis subcapitata
and
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
. For a given paclitaxel concentration, the nanomedicine form of paclitaxel led to a higher localization of paclitaxel on/in algal cell surfaces and inhibited algal growth more than molecular (free) paclitaxel. In addition, while the molecular paclitaxel at the solubility limit in water could not significantly hinder algal growth to reach an IC
50
level, the nanomedicine form had a 120 h IC
50
value of 1.1 ± 0.1 μg paclitaxel ml
−1
for
C. reinhardtii
and a 72 h IC
50
value of 1.6 ± 0.1 μg paclitaxel ml
−1
for
R. subcapitata
. In the case of paclitaxel-loaded nanomedicine, concentrations above 16.2 μg paclitaxel mL
−1
for
R. subcapitata
and above 5.4 μg paclitaxel mL
−1
for
C. reinhardtii
resulted in an algaecidal effect,
i.e.
algal necrosis and complete stoppage of algal growth. The presence of paclitaxel-loaded nanomedicine also hindered the photosynthetic activity while free-paclitaxel caused no significant effect on it. These findings indicate that nanopharmaceuticals can cause ecotoxic effects on freshwater algae, which is otherwise not possible with traditional pharmaceuticals, owing to their ability to solubilize water-insoluble drug molecules in them.
Nanomedicines, compared to traditional medicines, can cause enhanced toxicity on algae owing to their ability to solubilize water-insoluble drug molecules.
This study was a part of the DeWEX project (Deep Water formation Experiment), designed to better understand the impact of dense water formation on the marine biogeochemical cycles. Here, nutrient and ...phytoplankton vertical and horizontal distributions were investigated during a deep open‐ocean convection event and during the following spring bloom in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea (NWM). In February 2013, the deep convection event established a surface nutrient gradient from the center of the deep convection patch to the surrounding mixed and stratified areas. In the center of the convection area, a slight but significant difference of nitrate, phosphate and silicate concentrations was observed possibly due to the different volume of deep waters included in the mixing or to the sediment resuspension occurring where the mixing reached the bottom. One of this process, or a combination of both, enriched the water column in silicate and phosphate, and altered significantly the stoichiometry in the center of the deep convection area. This alteration favored the local development of microphytoplankton in spring, while nanophytoplankton dominated neighboring locations where the convection reached the deep layer but not the bottom. This study shows that the convection process influences both winter nutrients distribution and spring phytoplankton distribution and community structure. Modifications of the convection's spatial scale and intensity (i.e., convective mixing depth) are likely to have strong consequences on phytoplankton community structure and distribution in the NWM, and thus on the marine food web.
Plain Language Summary
The deep open‐ocean convection in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is an important process for the formation and the circulation of the deep waters of the entire Mediterranean Sea, but also for the local spring phytoplankton bloom. In this study, we showed that variations of the convective mixing depth induced different supply in nitrate, phosphate and silicate, and thus different nutrients ratios in the surface waters. These variations could be the result of pore water release loaded in nutrients because of the sediment resuspension enhanced by the bottom‐reached mixing. Because of this phenomenon, the slightly higher silicate concentrations in the center of the convection area favored diatoms development in spring. Modifications of this process because of the climate change could then have some consequences on the phytoplankton community structure and thus on the entire marine food web.
Key Points
NW Mediterranean zonation based on nutrients during convection event, and based on fluorescence profiles during bloom
Convection spatial scale drives the nutrients distribution and mixing depth drives the nutrient stoichiometry
Winter nutrient supply drives spring phytoplankton distribution while stoichiometry drives community structure
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