title: Bacterial influence on alkenones in live microalgae.
abstract: The microalga Emiliania huxleyi produces alkenone lipids that are important proxies for estimating past sea surface temperatures. Field calibrations of this proxy are robust but highly variable results are obtained in culture. Here, we present results suggesting that algal-bacterial interactions may be responsible for some of this variability. Co-cultures of E. huxleyi and the bacterium Phaeobacter inhibens resulted in a 2.5-fold decrease in algal alkenone-containing lipid bodies. In addition levels of unsaturated alkenones increase in co-cultures. These changes result in an increase in the reconstructed growth temperature of up to 2°C relative to axenic algal cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Einat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Segev
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA.
authors.forename: Isla S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Castañeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Sikes
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Hera
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vlamakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolter
mesh_terms: D058087:Haptophyta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D041902:Rhodobacteraceae / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids
keywords: Emiliania huxleyi; Phaeobacter inhibens; Roseobacter clade; SST; alkenone; biomarker; co-culture