High resolution time series reveals cohesive but short-lived communities in coastal plankton

Antonio M. Martin-Platero, Brian Cleary, Kathryn Kauffman, Sarah P. Preheim, Dennis J. McGillicuddy, Eric J. Alm () and Martin F. Polz ()
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Antonio M. Martin-Platero: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Brian Cleary: Broad Institute
Kathryn Kauffman: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sarah P. Preheim: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dennis J. McGillicuddy: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Eric J. Alm: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Martin F. Polz: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Because microbial plankton in the ocean comprise diverse bacteria, algae, and protists that are subject to environmental forcing on multiple spatial and temporal scales, a fundamental open question is to what extent these organisms form ecologically cohesive communities. Here we show that although all taxa undergo large, near daily fluctuations in abundance, microbial plankton are organized into clearly defined communities whose turnover is rapid and sharp. We analyze a time series of 93 consecutive days of coastal plankton using a technique that allows inference of communities as modular units of interacting taxa by determining positive and negative correlations at different temporal frequencies. This approach shows both coordinated population expansions that demarcate community boundaries and high frequency of positive and negative associations among populations within communities. Our analysis thus highlights that the environmental variability of the coastal ocean is mirrored in sharp transitions of defined but ephemeral communities of organisms.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02571-4

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