Structure and function of high Arctic pelagic, particle-associated and benthic bacterial communities

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Creator
  • Balmonte, J.P.
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Marine Sciences
  • Teske, A.
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Marine Sciences
  • Arnosti, C.
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Marine Sciences
Abstract
  • Arctic marine microbes are affected by environmental changes that may ultimately influence their functions in carbon cycling. Here, we investigated in concert the structure and enzymatic activities of pelagic, particle-associated and benthic bacterial communities in the central Arctic Ocean, and used these data to evaluate microbial structure–function relationships. Our findings showed influences of hydrographic conditions and particle association on community composition, and sharp pelagic-benthic contrasts. In addition to community compositional differences, regional and depth-related patterns in enzymatic activities were observed. Peptide hydrolysis rates were highest in surface waters, especially at ice-free and first year ice-covered regions, and decreased with depth. While the range of hydrolysed polysaccharides showed varying geographic patterns, particles often showed a wider spectrum of polysaccharide hydrolase activities. Summed benthic peptidase rates differed across stations but showed similar proportions of individual enzyme activities. Analysing for potential linkages between structure and function after subtracting the effect of environmental conditions revealed no direct link, indicating functional redundancy to carry out peptide hydrolysis among pelagic microbes. Thus, while community composition and activities are influenced by environmental conditions, bacterial functional redundancy suggests that compositional shifts – in response to the changing Arctic – may have complex and less predictable functional consequences than previously anticipated.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Journal title
  • Environmental Microbiology
Journal volume
  • 20
Journal issue
  • 8
Page start
  • 2941
Page end
  • 2954
Language
  • English
ISSN
  • 1462-2912
Publisher
  • Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Structure_and_function_of_high_Arctic_pelagic.pdf 2022-09-15 Public Download