Antarctic polynyas have the highest Southern Ocean summer primary productivity, and due to anthropogenic climate change,
these areas have formed faster recently. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are among the most ubiquitous and abundant
microorganisms in the ocean and play a primary role in the global nitrogen cycle. We utilized metagenomics and metatranscriptomics
to gain insights into the physiology and metabolism of AOA in polar oceans, which are associated with ecosystem
functioning. A polar-specific ecotype of AOA, from the “Candidatus Nitrosomarinus”-like group, was observed to
be dominant in the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP), West Antarctica, during a succession of summer phytoplankton blooms.
AOA had the highest transcriptional activity among prokaryotes during the bloom decline phase (DC). Metatranscriptomic
analysis of key genes involved in ammonia oxidation, carbon fixation, transport, and cell division indicated that this polar
AOA ecotype was actively involved in nitrification in the bloom DC in the ASP. This study revealed the physiological and
metabolic traits of this key polar-type AOA in response to phytoplankton blooms in the ASP and provided insights into AOA
functions in polar oceans.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Alleviated photoinhibition on nitrification in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean Lingfang Fan, Min Chen, Zifei Yang, Minfang Zheng, Yusheng Qiu Acta Oceanologica Sinica.2024; 43(7): 52. CrossRef