MPn-derived methane production by epiphytic bacteria on pelagic Sargassum seaweed from 2017-2019 (Cyanobacteria Hydrocarbons project) ...

• Main Authors: Valentine, David L., Parsons, Rachel J., Van Mooy, Benjamin A.S.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) 2023
• Subjects: phosphonate degradation; methylphosphonate; low-nutrient environments; epiphytic bacteria; macroalgae; oceanic methane flux; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.911212.1; https://hdl.handle.net/1912/67230

The essential nutrient phosphorus is biologically scarce in the Sargasso Sea, yet the pelagic macroalgae Sargassum, for which this area of the North Atlantic Ocean is named, thrives. We tested the hypothesis that Sargassum holobionts utilize methylphosphonate (MPn) as an alternative source of phosphorus via bottle incubations, finding lysis liberated phosphonate-derived methane. The resulting data of methane production relative to various control conditions in the bottle system over time was used as an analog for MPn utilization, in line with previous studies. We noticed the methane production rates were ~linear for the first 2-3 days in each trial, after which production rates began to decrease, likely due to bottle effects. As such, the linear portion of methane production over time was used to calculate the anticipated MPn utilization rate in situ, where confounding variables induced by the experimental design would not impact the microbial activity. These MPn utilization rates are also reported, allowing ...