Open AccessThe Trichodesmium microbiome can modulate host N 2 fixation
Author(s) -
Frischkorn Kyle R.,
Rouco Mónica,
Van Mooy Benjamin A. S.,
Dyhrman Sonya T.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2378-2242
DOI - 10.1002/lol2.10092
Subject(s) - trichodesmium , microbiome , diazotroph , biology , quorum sensing , nitrogen fixation , biogeochemical cycle , bacteria , ecology , biofilm , genetics
Trichodesmium is a marine, diazotrophic cyanobacterium that plays a central role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen. Colonies ubiquitously co‐occur with a diverse microbiome of heterotrophic bacteria. We show that manipulation of the microbiome with quorum sensing acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) significantly modulated rates of N 2 fixation by Trichodesmium collected from the western North Atlantic, with positive and negative effects of varied magnitude. Changes in Trichodesmium N 2 fixation did not correlate with changes in microbiome composition or geochemistry. With AHL addition, a subset of the significantly differentially expressed genes was related to known quorum sensing responses in model bacteria. However, there was little overlap in specific microbiome transcriptional responses to AHL addition between stations. Overall, these host‐microbiome interactions reflect a complex interplay of biotic and environmental factors that together form an overlooked mechanism modulating Trichodesmium N 2 fixation.