1
5) Diverse picophytoplankton found in permafrost thaw lakes that are net heterotrophic •Small lakes formed by thawing permafrost are typically heterotrophic because of high organic inputs •However, 18S rRNA amplicons combined with pigment analyses show a diverse and active photosynthetic •community Aquatic protist communities in the midst of environmental change: using 18S rRNA gene surveys to identify diversity over time and space Mary Thaler ([email protected]) Sophie Crevecoeur, Nathalie Joli, Deo Onda, Bérangère Péquin, Anna Przytulska-Bartosiewicz, Warwick Vincent, Connie Lovejoy Introduction •Protist communities are a central component of aquatic ecosystems, and their taxonomic structure is sensitive to environmental change •We use 18S rRNA gene surveys to capture such changes at a fine taxonomic scale, taking advantage of high throughput techniques to include many taxa poorly sampled by classical methods •Five projects from Arctic and temperate waters map the eukaryotic diversity through broad-scale changes including ice regimes, seasonal wind patterns and permafrost thawing. Take-home points •18S rRNA gene surveys can uncover profound changes in the protist community in response to intrinsic and environmental factors •At high latitudes, recent rapid environmental change requires urgent study before its impact can be understood 1.03 Peridinium wierzejskii Dinoflagellate 1.00 Chlorella sp. Chlorophyte 1.07 Lemmermannia punctata Chlorophyte 1.22 Urosolenia eriensis Diatom 1.31 Dinophyceae sp. Dinoflagellate 1.71 Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa Cryptophyte 3.83 Cercozoa Rhizaria 6.03 Uroglena sp. Chrysophyte 8.65 Stokesia vernalis Ciliate •The balance of heterotrophic and autotrophic activity is important because it determines CO 2 flux to the atmosphere Nine most common taxa (>1%) in 18S rRNA data from thaw lake SAS2A. Known photosynthetic organisms are highlighted % 2) Unique high-latitude system threatened with extinction •Milne Fiord Epishelf Lake, on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, consists of 16 m of freshwater floating over seawater behind an ice dam •High throughput 18S rRNA gene sequencing shows that, unlike any other fresh- or salt-water environment studied in the Canadian Arctic, Milne Fiord is dominated by a genus of large green microalgae, Carteria •Potential break-up of an increasingly unstable ice shelf will eventually lead to the loss of the last epishelf lake in the Arctic •Aim is to describe this system before it vanishes, and to understand associated biological processes •Changes in the diversity of the protist community will have an impact at multiple scales system scales with ecosystem-wide consequences 1) Loss of protist diversity in the northern Canada Basin during an ice minimum year •Summer of 2012 saw unprecedented retreat of sea-ice, passing 80°N latitude in the Canada Basin •Overall diversity of 18S rRNA was exceptionally low for all taxa <3µm. Ice chart showing minimum ice extent in the Canada Basin in 2012. Red represents >90% ice cover. Dashed line shows ice extent in a “normal” year (2010) Phylogenetic diversity in Canada Basin samples (< 3 µm) was significantly lower in 2012 than in other years. •Future work is to determine which protist taxa are driving this change and how this will impact biological processes in the water column Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected] 3) Nine years of monitoring the protist community in Northern Baffin Bay, 2005–2014 Pico-sized (< 2µm) eukaryotes are increasingly dominant in the Beaufort Sea in response to greater stratification and nutrient limitations Arctic ecotypes of small green algae, such as Micromonas, may change in distribution •The aim of the present study is to describe interannual changes at a fine taxonomic scale •Monitoring period includes years of dramatic sea-ice loss •It is unknown how this trend will manifest in an area of complex hydrography like Baffin Bay Warm Greenland current Cold Arctic current West-east temperature section of Baffin Bay showing fronts between currents x Contact: [email protected] 4) High wind events plus top-down control by dinoflagellates modulate picophytoflagellates in the Magdalen Islands Protist community composition was tracked over summer and autumn in a coastal lagoon using high-throughput sequencing of the 18S DNA gene Windy periods appear to be unfavourable for dinoflagellates, releasing the phytoflagellates from predation control WIND dinoflagellates phytoflagellates Contact: [email protected] •Taxonomic composition is significant for local aquaculture, since dinoflagellates are the main food source for farmed mussels Contact: [email protected]

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Page 1: Aquatic protist communities in the midst of environmental change:

5) Diverse picophytoplankton found inpermafrost thaw lakes that are net heterotrophic

•Small lakes formed by thawing permafrost are typically heterotrophicbecause of high organic inputs•However, 18S rRNA amplicons combined with pigment analysesshow a diverse and active photosynthetic•community

Aquatic protist communities in the midst ofenvironmental change: using 18S rRNA gene surveys toidentify diversity over time and space

Mary Thaler ([email protected]) Sophie Crevecoeur, Nathalie Joli, Deo Onda,Bérangère Péquin, Anna Przytulska-Bartosiewicz, Warwick Vincent, Connie Lovejoy

Introduction•Protist communities are a central component of aquatic ecosystems, and their taxonomic structure issensitive to environmental change•We use 18S rRNA gene surveys to capture such changes at a fine taxonomic scale, taking advantage ofhigh throughput techniques to include many taxa poorly sampled by classical methods•Five projects from Arctic and temperate waters map the eukaryotic diversity through broad-scale changesincluding ice regimes, seasonal wind patterns and permafrost thawing.

Take-home points•18S rRNA gene surveys can uncoverprofound changes in the protistcommunity in response to intrinsic andenvironmental factors•At high latitudes, recent rapidenvironmental change requires urgentstudy before its impact can beunderstood

1.03Peridinium wierzejskiiDinoflagellate

1.00Chlorella sp.Chlorophyte

1.07Lemmermannia punctataChlorophyte

1.22Urosolenia eriensisDiatom

1.31Dinophyceae sp.Dinoflagellate

1.71Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosaCryptophyte

3.83CercozoaRhizaria

6.03Uroglena sp.Chrysophyte

8.65Stokesia vernalisCiliate

•The balance ofheterotrophic andautotrophic activity isimportant because itdetermines CO2 flux tothe atmosphere

Nine most common taxa (>1%) in 18S rRNA datafrom thaw lake SAS2A. Known photosyntheticorganisms are highlighted %

2) Unique high-latitude system threatened withextinction•Milne Fiord Epishelf Lake, on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island,consists of 16 m of freshwater floating over seawater behind an icedam•High throughput 18S rRNA gene sequencing shows that, unlike anyother fresh- or salt-water environment studied in the Canadian Arctic,Milne Fiord is dominated by a genus of largegreen microalgae, Carteria•Potential break-up ofan increasinglyunstable ice shelf willeventually lead to theloss of the last epishelflake in the Arctic•Aim is to describe thissystem before itvanishes, and tounderstand associatedbiological processes

•Changes in the diversity of the protistcommunity will have an impact atmultiple scales system scales withecosystem-wide consequences

1) Loss of protist diversity in the northernCanada Basin during an ice minimum year•Summer of 2012 saw unprecedented retreat of sea-ice, passing 80°Nlatitude in the Canada Basin•Overall diversity of 18S rRNA was exceptionally low for all taxa <3µm.

Ice chart showing minimum ice extent inthe Canada Basin in 2012. Red represents>90% ice cover. Dashed line shows iceextent in a “normal” year (2010)

Phylogenetic diversity in Canada Basinsamples (< 3 µm) was significantly lowerin 2012 than in other years.

•Future work is to determine which protist taxa are driving this changeand how this will impact biological processes in the water column

Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected]

3) Nine years of monitoring the protistcommunity in Northern Baffin Bay, 2005–2014•Pico-sized (< 2µm) eukaryotes are increasingly dominant in theBeaufort Sea in response to greater stratification and nutrientlimitations

Arctic ecotypes of small greenalgae, such as Micromonas,may change in distribution

•The aim of the present study is todescribe interannual changes at afine taxonomic scale•Monitoring period includes yearsof dramatic sea-ice loss

•It is unknown howthis trend willmanifest in an areaof complexhydrography likeBaffin Bay

Warm Greenlandcurrent

Cold Arcticcurrent

West-east temperature section of Baffin Bay showingfronts between currents

x

Contact: [email protected]

4) High wind events plus top-down control bydinoflagellates modulate picophytoflagellates inthe Magdalen Islands

•Protist community composition was tracked over summer andautumn in a coastal lagoon using high-throughput sequencing ofthe 18S DNA gene•Windy periods appear to be unfavourable for dinoflagellates,releasing the phytoflagellates from predation control

WIND

dinoflagellates

phytoflagellates

Contact: [email protected]

•Taxonomic composition issignificant for localaquaculture, since dinoflagellates are themain food source for farmed mussels

Contact: [email protected]