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Dynamic stoichiometric response to food quality fluctuations in the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina

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Abstract

With respect to nutrients, plants are rather non-homoeostatic while most metazoans have much more confined ranges of nutrient ratios. It was recently highlighted that the homoeostatic ability of microzooplankters lies in between these two extremes. Nevertheless, we know very little on the dynamics of stoichiometric changes. Hence, we investigated how the stoichiometry of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina is affected (1) during a starvation period and (2) when fed nutrient deplete Rhodomonas salina after having been pre-conditioned on nutrient replete algae and vice versa. We observed that the dinoflagellate was able to maintain its N:P ratio constant over 78 h of starvation. We inferred that under starvation, nitrogen-limited O. marina mainly used fat as energy source while nitrogen-rich individuals also used proteins as fuel in cellular respiration. Further, we showed that O. marina presents resistance to nutrient limitation, with stronger regulation against P-limitation than against N-limitation. This resilience in microzooplankton stoichiometry following food quality stress would have great implications for both top-down (nutrient remineralisation) and bottom-up controls (quality as food).

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Acknowledgments

This study is a part of the PhD study conducted by C.L.M. at the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Bremerhaven, Germany, financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, grant MA 4501/1-1) and complies with current German laws and regulations on animal studies. We thank Stefanie Schnell for her help measuring respiration rates of O. marina.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Postbox 180, 27483, Helgoland, Germany

    Cédric Léo Meunier, Julia Haafke, Bettina Oppermann, Maarten Boersma & Arne Michael Malzahn

  2. Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Straße 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Arne Michael Malzahn

Authors
  1. Cédric Léo Meunier
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  2. Julia Haafke
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  3. Bettina Oppermann
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  4. Maarten Boersma
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  5. Arne Michael Malzahn
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Correspondence to Cédric Léo Meunier.

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Communicated by U. Sommer.

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Meunier, C.L., Haafke, J., Oppermann, B. et al. Dynamic stoichiometric response to food quality fluctuations in the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina . Mar Biol 159, 2241–2248 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2009-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2009-3

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