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Phytoplankton in the ocean use non-phosphorus lipids in response to phosphorus scarcity

Author

Listed:
  • Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA)

  • Helen F. Fredricks

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA)

  • Byron E. Pedler

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
    Present address: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.)

  • Sonya T. Dyhrman

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA)

  • David M. Karl

    (University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA)

  • Michal Koblížek

    (Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences
    Institute of Physical Biology, University of South Bohemia)

  • Michael W. Lomas

    (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences)

  • Tracy J. Mincer

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA)

  • Lisa R. Moore

    (University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, USA)

  • Thierry Moutin

    (Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Biogéochimique, Centre d’Océanologie de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University)

  • Michael S. Rappé

    (Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA)

  • Eric A. Webb

    (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA)

Abstract

Low-phosphorus lipids at sea Plankton require the nutrient phosphorus to grow and to manufacture the molecules that make up their cells, including fat-like lipid molecules. In some parts of the ocean, phosphorus can be extremely scarce, and yet one type of plankton, the photosynthetic phytoplankton, seems to be able to cope with this situation. The reason for this has now been discovered: they produce phosphorus-free lipid molecules. Phytoplankton were known to respond to phosphorous limitation by reducing their cellular phosphorous content and now experiments using low-phosphate seawater samples from the Sargasso Sea show that phytoplankton, but not heterotrophic bacteria, substitute their membrane phospholipids with lipids containing sulphur and nitrogen. The ability to use these substitute lipids may provide a competitive advantage in low-phosphorus environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy & Helen F. Fredricks & Byron E. Pedler & Sonya T. Dyhrman & David M. Karl & Michal Koblížek & Michael W. Lomas & Tracy J. Mincer & Lisa R. Moore & Thierry Moutin & Michael S. R, 2009. "Phytoplankton in the ocean use non-phosphorus lipids in response to phosphorus scarcity," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7234), pages 69-72, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:458:y:2009:i:7234:d:10.1038_nature07659
    DOI: 10.1038/nature07659
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    Cited by:

    1. Qi Zhang & Lu Jia & Yuchen Chen & Hanlu Yan & Qiuwen Chen & Jianmin Zhang & Hao Sun, 2024. "Molecular Mechanisms of the Cyanobacterial Response to Different Phosphorus Sources," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-14, July.

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