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Spatio-temporal distribution pattern of the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus in lakes of different trophic states: a comparison of flow cytometry and sequencing approaches

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Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus, an important contributor to primary production in many freshwater lakes. Our study sites were four lakes with different trophic states within the Osterseen Lake District in Southern Germany. Flow cytometry counts and next-generation sequencing were used from April to October 2015 to analyse the occurrence of Synechococcus and heterotrophic prokaryotes in relation to physical and chemical habitat properties. Synechococcus was identified as the main representative of the autotrophic picoplankton, but cell counts varied widely. The Synechococcus taxa identified by flow cytometry were confirmed by sequencing data, but the comparison of the flow cytometry counts and sequence data revealed discrepancies for cells in the exponential phase. The eutrophic Lake Schiffhuettensee was dominated by algae and had the highest abundance of heterotrophic prokaryotes. The presence of distinct operational taxonomic units of Synechococcus varied seasonally and was lake-specific, indicating local niche adaptation. Our study sheds light on the ecology of these important primary producers in freshwater systems. Furthermore, the discrepancy observed with the direct comparison of the widely used methods of next-generation sequencing and flow cytometry should serve as a caveat for future data analysis.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Nina Kamennaya for helping with using the flow cytometer and for very helpful discussions and Pia Scherer for helpful discussions about the manuscript. This work was supported by the Frank Hirschvogel Stiftung and the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the TUM International Graduate School of Science and Engineering (IGSSE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Systems Biology Unit, Limnological Research Station Iffeldorf, Technical University of Munich, Hofmark 1-3, 82393, Iffeldorf, Germany

    Joachim Ruber, Juergen Geist, Uta Raeder & Katrin Zwirglmaier

  2. Ocean Biogeochemistry & Ecosystems Research Group, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK

    Manuela Hartmann & Mikhail Zubkov

  3. WMS –Microbiology and Infection, Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Andrew Millard

  4. Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstr. 11, 80937, Munich, Germany

    Katrin Zwirglmaier

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  1. Joachim Ruber
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Guest editors: Eugen Rott, Allan Pentecost & Jan Mares / Aspects of cyanobacterial biogeography, molecular ecology, functional ecology and systematics

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Ruber, J., Geist, J., Hartmann, M. et al. Spatio-temporal distribution pattern of the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus in lakes of different trophic states: a comparison of flow cytometry and sequencing approaches. Hydrobiologia 811, 77–92 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3368-z

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