Unexpected diversity of small eukaryotes in deep-sea Antarctic plankton

Purificación López-García, Francisco Rodríguez-Valera, Carlos Pedrós-Alió and David Moreira ()
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Purificación López-García: División de Microbiologia, Universidad Miguel Hernández
Francisco Rodríguez-Valera: División de Microbiologia, Universidad Miguel Hernández
Carlos Pedrós-Alió: Institut de Ciènces del Mar, CSIC
David Moreira: División de Microbiologia, Universidad Miguel Hernández

Nature, 2001, vol. 409, issue 6820, 603-607

Abstract: Abstract Phylogenetic information from ribosomal RNA genes directly amplified from the environment changed our view of the biosphere, revealing an extraordinary diversity of previously undetected prokaryotic lineages. Using ribosomal RNA genes from marine picoplankton, several new groups of bacteria and archaea have been identified, some of which are abundant2,3,4. Little is known, however, about the diversity of the smallest planktonic eukaryotes, and available information in general concerns the phytoplankton of the euphotic region. Here we recover eukaryotes in the size fraction 0.2–5 µm from the aphotic zone (250–3,000 m deep) in the Antarctic polar front. The most diverse and relatively abundant were two new groups of alveolate sequences, related to dinoflagellates that are found at all studied depths. These may be important components of the microbial community in the deep ocean. Their phylogenetic position suggests a radiation early in the evolution of alveolates.

Date: 2001
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DOI: 10.1038/35054537

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