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Incorporation of Leucine and Thymidine by Estuarine Phytoplankton: Implications for Bacterial Productivity Estimates

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Abstract

Leucine and thymidine incorporation were examined in size-fractionated estuarine communities and in cultures of phytoplankton known to use dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Cultured phytoplankton species were used to establish that phytoplankton took up leucine and thymidine into protein and DNA, respectively. Subsequently, incorporation of leucine and thymidine was measured in size-fractionated populations collected from the Lafayette River, VA, a eutrophic estuary where resident populations contain bloom-forming phytoplankton known to take up DON, and the Gulf of Mexico during a bloom of the mixotrophic red tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis. We examined the efficacy of size fractionation for determining phytoplankton versus bacterial incorporation of leucine and thymidine under conditions employed during bacterial productivity bioassays, and antibiotics were used to distinguish between bacterial and phytoplankton incorporation in cultured and natural populations. Results suggest that cultures and natural assemblages of phytoplankton can take up both leucine and thymidine when supplied at low concentrations (10 and 12 nmol L−1, respectively) and during short incubations (15 min to 1 h). In natural populations, up to 95% of the leucine and thymidine incorporation during short bioassays was recovered in the >5.0-μm size fraction that contained ≤4.2% of the bacterial biomass.

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Acknowledgments

We thank A. M. Watson and the captain and crew of the R/V Pelican for their help in collecting samples. A. Rocha was partially supported by a fellowship from the Hall-Bonner Program for Doctoral Scholars, established through a grant by the National Science Foundation to Ben Cuker (Hampton University), Greg Cutter (ODU), and Linda Schaffner (Virginia Institute of Marine Science); this program also provided support for laboratory supplies. This study was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the US ECOHAB program, the Virginia Environmental Endowment, and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center to MRM. The ECOHAB Program is sponsored by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Office of Naval Research. This is contribution number 636 from the US ECOHAB Program. Finally, we thank three anonymous reviewers and Carlos Duarte for their comments on the earlier versions of this manuscript.

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  1. Andrea M. Rocha

    Present address: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

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  1. Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529-0276, USA

    Margaret R. Mulholland, Andrea M. Rocha & George E. Boneillo

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Mulholland, M.R., Rocha, A.M. & Boneillo, G.E. Incorporation of Leucine and Thymidine by Estuarine Phytoplankton: Implications for Bacterial Productivity Estimates. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 310–325 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9366-2

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