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Structure of microbial communities in phosphorus-limited estuaries along the eastern Adriatic coast
Solic, M.; Krstulovic, N.; Santic, D.; Sestanovic, S.; Ordulj, M.; Bojanic, N.; Kuspilic, G. (2015). Structure of microbial communities in phosphorus-limited estuaries along the eastern Adriatic coast. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 95(8): 1565-1578. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315415000442
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
Also appears in:
Sukhotin, A.; Frost, M.; Hummel, H. (Ed.) (2015). Proceedings of the 49th European Marine Biology Symposium September 8-12, 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia. European Marine Biology Symposia, 49. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 95(8). 1517-1721 pp., more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    microbial food web; picoplankton; nanoplankton; viruses; ciliates;estuarine environment; P-limited environment; Adriatic Sea

Authors  Top 
  • Solic, M., more
  • Krstulovic, N., more
  • Santic, D.
  • Sestanovic, S., more
  • Ordulj, M.
  • Bojanic, N.
  • Kuspilic, G.

Abstract
    The structure of the microbial food web was studied in six estuary areas along the eastern Adriatic coast during March, July and October 2012. Limitation by phosphorus, not nitrogen, was a common feature for all studied estuaries. Heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic picoplankton (APP) (particularly picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus) can reach notable abundances and biomasses, suggesting potential importance of the picoplankton community in P-limited estuarine environments. The main features of the microbial community structure in these environments included: (1) higher heterotrophic biomass in comparison to autotrophic biomass within the picoplankton community; (2) general domination of picoeukaryotes within the APP community, and increase of absolute and relative biomass of prokaryotic autotrophs (Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus) in the total APP in P-limited conditions; (3) domination of Synechococcus over Prochlorococcus biomass in all studied conditions, and common spatial distribution of these two groups of cyanobacteria, which was mostly determined by concentration of phosphorus; (4) relatively high contribution (about 50%) of LNA bacteria in the total bacterial abundance; and (5) relatively high contribution (about 33%) of heterotrophic pico-flagellates in the total flagellate abundance.

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