Colourful coexistence of red and green picocyanobacteria in lakes and seas.
Hutchinson's paradox of the plankton inspired many studies on the mechanisms of species coexistence. Recent laboratory experiments showed that partitioning of white light allows stable coexistence of red and green picocyanobacteria. Here, we investigate to what extent these laboratory findings can be extrapolated to natural waters. We predict from a parameterized competition model that the underwater light colour of lakes and seas provides ample opportunities for coexistence of red and green phytoplankton species. To test this prediction, we sampled picocyanobacteria of 70 aquatic ecosystems, ranging from clear blue oceans to turbid brown peat lakes. As predicted, red picocyanobacteria dominated in clear waters, whereas green picocyanobacteria dominated in turbid waters. We found widespread coexistence of red and green picocyanobacteria in waters of intermediate turbidity. These field data support the hypothesis that niche differentiation along the light spectrum promotes phytoplankton biodiversity, thus providing a colourful solution to the paradox of the plankton.
Stomp
Maayke
M
Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Huisman
Jef
J
Vörös
Lajos
L
Pick
Frances R
FR
Laamanen
Maria
M
Haverkamp
Thomas
T
Stal
Lucas J
LJ
D044822:Biodiversity; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003116:Color; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005618:Fresh Water; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D012623:Seawater