In Washington State, the interactions between algae and bacteria are essential to the primary productivity of Earth’s oceans and surface waters. Bacteria can increase the productivity of algae by producing key factors, such as vitamins, iron-chelating molecules, and growth hormones. In addition, bacteria remineralize organic matter—a process that provides a steady supply of nutrients to algae. However, not much is known about this process.
Now a study from the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory details uptake of organic matter from algae and remineralization by 15 bacterial co-cultures and subsequent incorporation of the resulting nutrients by the algae Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Although algae are an essential part of primary productivity in places like the ocean, details about their relationships with bacteria are lacking. This study quantifies bacterial uptake of algae-derived nutrients and subsequent incorporation of remineralized carbon and nitrogen by the algae. The researchers also identified three separate categories of metabolic interactions that open the doors for future research into this field, including ecological studies, helping close the gap between what is and isn’t known about interactions between bacteria and algae.
These research findings lend important details for potentially enhancing algal biomass for biofuel production, and generally for understanding large-scale elemental cycling.
Tags: algae, bacteria, Washington State
Category: Research
