Cell size influences inorganic carbon acquisition in artificially selected phytoplankton.

Malerba, ME; Marshall, DJ; Palacios, MM; Raven, JA; Beardall, J

Cell size influences inorganic carbon acquisition in artificially selected phytoplankton.

Malerba, ME Marshall, DJ Palacios, MM Raven, JA Beardall, J

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: The New phytologist, 2021, 229, (5), pp. 2647-2659
Issue Date:: 2021-03

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Malerba, ME
dc.contributor.author	Marshall, DJ
dc.contributor.author	Palacios, MM
dc.contributor.author	Raven, JA
dc.contributor.author	Beardall, J
dc.date.accessioned	2021-09-25T22:11:54Z
dc.date.available	2020-11-02
dc.date.available	2021-09-25T22:11:54Z
dc.date.issued	2021-03
dc.identifier.citation	The New phytologist, 2021, 229, (5), pp. 2647-2659
dc.identifier.issn	0028-646X
dc.identifier.issn	1469-8137
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150703
dc.description.abstract	Cell size influences the rate at which phytoplankton assimilate dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), but it is unclear whether volume-specific carbon uptake should be greater in smaller or larger cells. On the one hand, Fick's Law predicts smaller cells to have a superior diffusive CO<sub>2</sub> supply. On the other, larger cells may have greater scope to invest metabolic energy to upregulate active transport per unit area through CO<sub>2</sub> -concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). Previous studies have focused on among-species comparisons, which complicates disentangling the role of cell size from other covarying traits. In this study, we investigated the DIC assimilation of the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta after using artificial selection to evolve a 9.3-fold difference in cell volume. We compared CO<sub>2</sub> affinity, external carbonic anhydrase (CA<sub>ext</sub> ), isotopic signatures (δ<sup>13</sup> C) and growth among size-selected lineages. Evolving cells to larger sizes led to an upregulation of CCMs that improved the DIC uptake of this species, with higher CO<sub>2</sub> affinity, higher CA<sub>ext</sub> and higher δ<sup>13</sup> C. Larger cells also achieved faster growth and higher maximum biovolume densities. We showed that evolutionary shifts in cell size can alter the efficiency of DIC uptake systems to influence the fitness of a phytoplankton species.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	The New phytologist
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/nph.17068
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	06 Biological Sciences, 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Plant Biology & Botany
dc.subject.mesh	Phytoplankton
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon Dioxide
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon
dc.subject.mesh	Carbonic Anhydrases
dc.subject.mesh	Cell Size
dc.subject.mesh	Photosynthesis
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon Dioxide
dc.subject.mesh	Carbonic Anhydrases
dc.subject.mesh	Cell Size
dc.subject.mesh	Photosynthesis
dc.subject.mesh	Phytoplankton
dc.title	Cell size influences inorganic carbon acquisition in artificially selected phytoplankton.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	229
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences
utslib.for	07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2021-09-25T22:11:53Z
pubs.issue	5
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	229
utslib.citation.issue	5

Abstract:

Cell size influences the rate at which phytoplankton assimilate dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), but it is unclear whether volume-specific carbon uptake should be greater in smaller or larger cells. On the one hand, Fick's Law predicts smaller cells to have a superior diffusive CO₂ supply. On the other, larger cells may have greater scope to invest metabolic energy to upregulate active transport per unit area through CO₂ -concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). Previous studies have focused on among-species comparisons, which complicates disentangling the role of cell size from other covarying traits. In this study, we investigated the DIC assimilation of the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta after using artificial selection to evolve a 9.3-fold difference in cell volume. We compared CO₂ affinity, external carbonic anhydrase (CA_ext ), isotopic signatures (δ¹³ C) and growth among size-selected lineages. Evolving cells to larger sizes led to an upregulation of CCMs that improved the DIC uptake of this species, with higher CO₂ affinity, higher CA_ext and higher δ¹³ C. Larger cells also achieved faster growth and higher maximum biovolume densities. We showed that evolutionary shifts in cell size can alter the efficiency of DIC uptake systems to influence the fitness of a phytoplankton species.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150703