<i>In Situ</i> Molecular Ecological Analyses Illuminate Distinct Factors Regulating Formation and Demise of a Harmful Dinoflagellate Bloom
Liying Yu, Tangcheng Li, Hongfei Li, Minglei Ma, Ling Li, Senjie Lin
Abstract
data about the physiology and metabolism of the causal species and the community. Using an integrative molecular ecological approach, we determined that heightened energy and nutrient acquisition promoted the bloom, while resource allocation in defense and failure to defend against grazing and microbial attacks likely prevented or terminated the bloom. Our findings reveal the differential roles of multiple abiotic and biotic environmental factors in driving the formation or demise of a toxic dinoflagellate bloom, suggesting the importance of a balanced biodiverse ecosystem in preventing a dinoflagellate bloom. The study also demonstrates the power of whole-assemblage metatranscriptomics coupled to DNA barcoding in illuminating plankton ecological processes and the underlying species and functional diversities.