Collaborative Research: Phagotrophy and Nutrient Cycling in Mixotrophic Algae

一些淡水和海洋微藻 摄入颗粒状食物是一种显著的 重要的行为。 尽管这一点具有重要意义， 浮游生物中能量和营养物质流动的行为 群落和藻类的生存策略， 相对来说， 对该行为的约束（即，最大摄取率）， 研究对混合营养生物的潜在生理益处 (e.g., C、N或P的获取），或确定竞争力 这种行为可能会给他们带来的好处。 这 项目将继续研究，以获得这方面的基线数据 重要但通常被忽视的自由生活群体 原生生物 今后工作的目标是继续审查 实验室中的淡水和海洋兼养藻类分离物 培养他们消耗颗粒食物的能力。 在 此外，调查了10个不同营养状态的湖泊， 北大西洋的几个环境 进行混合营养藻类的存在和丰度，以及 这些物种的细菌消耗率。 项目 资金将有助于生态理论和知识 具有潜在的水污染控制应用价值。

The ability of some freshwater and marine microalgae to ingest particulate food is a remarkable and ecologically significant behavior. Despite the important implications of this behavior for the flow of energy and nutrients in plankton communities and for the survival strategies of the algae, there has been relatively little experimental work to establish constraints on this behavior (i.e., maximum ingestion rates), to examine the potential physiological benefits to the mixotroph (e.g., acquisition of C,N, or P), or to determine the competitive advantage that this behavior might confer on the alga. This project will continue research to obtain baseline data on this important, but generally overlooked, group of free-living protists. Goals for future work are to continue to examine freshwater and marine isolates of mixotrophic algae in laboratory culture for their ability to consume particulate food. In addition, a survey of 10 lakes of varying trophic status and several environments in the North Atlantic Ocean will be conducted for the presence and abundance of mixotroph algae, and the rates of bacterial consumption by these species. Project fundings will contribute to ecological theory and the knowledge base with potential application to water pollution control.