Phytoplankton in the ocean use non-phosphorus lipids in response to phosphorus scarcity

Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy (), Helen F. Fredricks, Byron E. Pedler, Sonya T. Dyhrman, David M. Karl, Michal Koblížek, Michael W. Lomas, Tracy J. Mincer, Lisa R. Moore, Thierry Moutin, Michael S. Rappé and Eric A. Webb
Additional contact information
Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Helen F. Fredricks: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Byron E. Pedler: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Sonya T. Dyhrman: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
David M. Karl: University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Michal Koblížek: Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences
Michael W. Lomas: Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Tracy J. Mincer: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Lisa R. Moore: University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, USA
Thierry Moutin: Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Biogéochimique, Centre d’Océanologie de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University
Michael S. Rappé: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA
Eric A. Webb: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Nature, 2009, vol. 458, issue 7234, 69-72

Abstract: Low-phosphorus lipids at sea Plankton require the nutrient phosphorus to grow and to manufacture the molecules that make up their cells, including fat-like lipid molecules. In some parts of the ocean, phosphorus can be extremely scarce, and yet one type of plankton, the photosynthetic phytoplankton, seems to be able to cope with this situation. The reason for this has now been discovered: they produce phosphorus-free lipid molecules. Phytoplankton were known to respond to phosphorous limitation by reducing their cellular phosphorous content and now experiments using low-phosphate seawater samples from the Sargasso Sea show that phytoplankton, but not heterotrophic bacteria, substitute their membrane phospholipids with lipids containing sulphur and nitrogen. The ability to use these substitute lipids may provide a competitive advantage in low-phosphorus environments.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07659

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