Comparative metatranscriptomics identifies molecular bases for the physiological responses of phytoplankton to varying iron availability

摘要

Phytoplankton—microscopic algae in the uppermost, sunlit layer of the ocean— perform approximately half of Earth's photosynthesis (1). In vast regions, phytoplankton growth is limited by the availability of iron, and a resupply of iron triggers large phytoplankton blooms. In particular, a variety called diatoms responds almost immediately to iron influxes and rapidly forms the majority of phytoplankton biomass. However, the molecular bases behind diatoms' subsistence in iron-poor waters and response to iron resupply remain largely unknown. We used recently developed high-throughput sequencing methods to characterize the gene expression responses of an iron-limited plankton community to experimental iron enrichment.