Niche of harmful alga Aureococcus anophagefferens revealed through ecogenomics.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2011/3/15;108(11):4352-7.
Gobler CJ[1], Berry DL, Dyhrman ST, Wilhelm SW, Salamov A, Lobanov AV, Zhang Y, Collier JL, Wurch LL, Kustka AB, Dill BD, Shah M, VerBerkmoes NC, Kuo A, Terry A, Pangilinan J, Lindquist EA, Lucas S, Paulsen IT, Hattenrath-Lehmann TK, Talmage SC, Walker EA, Koch F, Burson AM, Marcoval MA, Tang YZ, Lecleir GR, Coyne KJ, Berg GM, Bertrand EM, Saito MA, Gladyshev VN, Grigoriev IV
Affiliations
PMID: 21368207DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1016106108
Impact factor: 12.779
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) cause significant economic and ecological damage worldwide. Despite considerable efforts, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that promote these blooms has been lacking, because the biochemical pathways that facilitate their dominance relative to other phytoplankton within specific environments have not been identified. Here, biogeochemical measurements showed that the harmful alga Aureococcus anophagefferens outcompeted co-occurring phytoplankton in estuaries with elevated levels of dissolved organic matter and turbidity and low levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. We subsequently sequenced the genome of A. anophagefferens and compared its gene complement with those of six competing phytoplankton species identified through metaproteomics. Using an ecogenomic approach, we specifically focused on gene sets that may facilitate dominance within the environmental conditions present during blooms. A. anophagefferens possesses a larger genome (56 Mbp) and has more genes involved in light harvesting, organic carbon and nitrogen use, and encoding selenium- and metal-requiring enzymes than competing phytoplankton. Genes for the synthesis of microbial deterrents likely permit the proliferation of this species, with reduced mortality losses during blooms. Collectively, these findings suggest that anthropogenic activities resulting in elevated levels of turbidity, organic matter, and metals have opened a niche within coastal ecosystems that ideally suits the unique genetic capacity of A. anophagefferens and thus, has facilitated the proliferation of this and potentially other HABs.
MeSH terms
Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Ecosystem; Enzymes; Eukaryota; Genome; Genomics; Light; Phylogeny; Phytoplankton; Proteins; Species Specificity
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