Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now?

Kevin J Flynn; Aditee Mitra; Konstantinos Anestis; Anna A. Anschütz; Albert Calbet; Guilherme Duarte Ferreira; Nathalie Gypens; Per Juel Hansen; Uwe John; Jon Lapeyra Martin; Joost S Mansour; Maira Maselli; Nikola Medic; Andreas Norlin; Fabrice Not; Paraskevi  Pitta; Filomena Ramano; Enric Saiz; Lisa K Schneider; Willem Stolte; Claudia Traboni

doi:10.1093/plankt/fbz026

Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now?

Kevin J Flynn, Aditee Mitra, Konstantinos Anestis, Anna A. Anschütz, Albert Calbet, Guilherme Duarte Ferreira, Nathalie Gypens, Per Juel Hansen, Uwe John, Jon Lapeyra Martin, Joost S Mansour, Maira Maselli, Nikola Medic, Andreas Norlin, Fabrice Not, Paraskevi Pitta, Filomena Ramano, Enric Saiz, Lisa K Schneider, Willem StolteClaudia Traboni

Marine Biology

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Many protist plankton are mixotrophs, combining phototrophy and phagotrophy. Their role in freshwater and marine ecology has emerged as a major developing feature of plankton research over recent decades. To better aid discussions, we suggest these organisms are termed "mixoplankton", as "planktonic protist organisms that express, or have potential to express, phototrophy and phagotrophy". The term "phytoplankton" then describes phototrophic organisms incapable of phagotrophy. "Protozooplankton" describes phagotrophic protists that do not engage in acquired phototrophy. The complexity of the changes to the conceptual base of the plankton trophic web caused by inclusion of mixoplanktonic activities are such that we suggest that the restructured description is termed the "mixoplankton paradigm". Implications and opportunities for revision of survey and fieldwork, of laboratory experiments and of simulation modelling are considered. The main challenges are not only with taxonomic and functional identifications, and with measuring rates of potentially competing processes within single cells, but with decades of inertia built around the traditional paradigm that assumes a separation of trophic processes between different organisms. In keeping with the synergistic nature of cooperative photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach will be required to tackle the task ahead.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Plankton Research
Volume	41
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	375-391
Number of pages	17
ISSN	0142-7873
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbz026
Publication status	Published - 26 Jul 2019

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Flynn, K. J., Mitra, A., Anestis, K., Anschütz, A. A., Calbet, A., Ferreira, G. D., Gypens, N., Hansen, P. J., John, U., Martin, J. L., Mansour, J. S., Maselli, M., Medic, N., Norlin, A., Not, F., Pitta, P., Ramano, F., Saiz, E., Schneider, L. K., ... Traboni, C. (2019). Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now? Journal of Plankton Research, 41(4), 375-391. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbz026

Flynn, KJ, Mitra, A, Anestis, K, Anschütz, AA, Calbet, A, Ferreira, GD, Gypens, N, Hansen, PJ, John, U, Martin, JL, Mansour, JS, Maselli, M , Medic, N, Norlin, A, Not, F, Pitta, P, Ramano, F, Saiz, E, Schneider, LK, Stolte, W & Traboni, C 2019, 'Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now?', Journal of Plankton Research, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 375-391. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbz026

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abstract = "Many protist plankton are mixotrophs, combining phototrophy and phagotrophy. Their role in freshwater and marine ecology has emerged as a major developing feature of plankton research over recent decades. To better aid discussions, we suggest these organisms are termed {"}mixoplankton{"}, as {"}planktonic protist organisms that express, or have potential to express, phototrophy and phagotrophy{"}. The term {"}phytoplankton{"} then describes phototrophic organisms incapable of phagotrophy. {"}Protozooplankton{"} describes phagotrophic protists that do not engage in acquired phototrophy. The complexity of the changes to the conceptual base of the plankton trophic web caused by inclusion of mixoplanktonic activities are such that we suggest that the restructured description is termed the {"}mixoplankton paradigm{"}. Implications and opportunities for revision of survey and fieldwork, of laboratory experiments and of simulation modelling are considered. The main challenges are not only with taxonomic and functional identifications, and with measuring rates of potentially competing processes within single cells, but with decades of inertia built around the traditional paradigm that assumes a separation of trophic processes between different organisms. In keeping with the synergistic nature of cooperative photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach will be required to tackle the task ahead.",

author = "Flynn, {Kevin J} and Aditee Mitra and Konstantinos Anestis and Ansch{\"u}tz, {Anna A.} and Albert Calbet and Ferreira, {Guilherme Duarte} and Nathalie Gypens and Hansen, {Per Juel} and Uwe John and Martin, {Jon Lapeyra} and Mansour, {Joost S} and Maira Maselli and Nikola Medic and Andreas Norlin and Fabrice Not and Paraskevi Pitta and Filomena Ramano and Enric Saiz and Schneider, {Lisa K} and Willem Stolte and Claudia Traboni",

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T2 - where does plankton research go now?

AU - Flynn, Kevin J

AU - Mitra, Aditee

AU - Anestis, Konstantinos

AU - Anschütz, Anna A.

AU - Calbet, Albert

AU - Ferreira, Guilherme Duarte

AU - Gypens, Nathalie

AU - Hansen, Per Juel

AU - John, Uwe

AU - Martin, Jon Lapeyra

AU - Mansour, Joost S

AU - Maselli, Maira

AU - Medic, Nikola

AU - Norlin, Andreas

AU - Not, Fabrice

AU - Pitta, Paraskevi

AU - Ramano, Filomena

AU - Saiz, Enric

AU - Schneider, Lisa K

AU - Stolte, Willem

AU - Traboni, Claudia

PY - 2019/7/26

Y1 - 2019/7/26

N2 - Many protist plankton are mixotrophs, combining phototrophy and phagotrophy. Their role in freshwater and marine ecology has emerged as a major developing feature of plankton research over recent decades. To better aid discussions, we suggest these organisms are termed "mixoplankton", as "planktonic protist organisms that express, or have potential to express, phototrophy and phagotrophy". The term "phytoplankton" then describes phototrophic organisms incapable of phagotrophy. "Protozooplankton" describes phagotrophic protists that do not engage in acquired phototrophy. The complexity of the changes to the conceptual base of the plankton trophic web caused by inclusion of mixoplanktonic activities are such that we suggest that the restructured description is termed the "mixoplankton paradigm". Implications and opportunities for revision of survey and fieldwork, of laboratory experiments and of simulation modelling are considered. The main challenges are not only with taxonomic and functional identifications, and with measuring rates of potentially competing processes within single cells, but with decades of inertia built around the traditional paradigm that assumes a separation of trophic processes between different organisms. In keeping with the synergistic nature of cooperative photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach will be required to tackle the task ahead.

AB - Many protist plankton are mixotrophs, combining phototrophy and phagotrophy. Their role in freshwater and marine ecology has emerged as a major developing feature of plankton research over recent decades. To better aid discussions, we suggest these organisms are termed "mixoplankton", as "planktonic protist organisms that express, or have potential to express, phototrophy and phagotrophy". The term "phytoplankton" then describes phototrophic organisms incapable of phagotrophy. "Protozooplankton" describes phagotrophic protists that do not engage in acquired phototrophy. The complexity of the changes to the conceptual base of the plankton trophic web caused by inclusion of mixoplanktonic activities are such that we suggest that the restructured description is termed the "mixoplankton paradigm". Implications and opportunities for revision of survey and fieldwork, of laboratory experiments and of simulation modelling are considered. The main challenges are not only with taxonomic and functional identifications, and with measuring rates of potentially competing processes within single cells, but with decades of inertia built around the traditional paradigm that assumes a separation of trophic processes between different organisms. In keeping with the synergistic nature of cooperative photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach will be required to tackle the task ahead.

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EP - 391

JO - Journal of Plankton Research

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ER -

Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now?

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