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Marine microbiology

Mixotrophy in depth

Nature Microbiology volume 7, pages 1949–1950 (2022)Cite this article

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Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the ocean, but single-cell measurements and model simulations reveal that this organism might obtain only 20% of the carbon required for growth from photosynthesis in the deep water column.

Cyanobacteria fuel ocean ecosystems through their ability to convert solar radiation and carbon dioxide into organic carbon. This photosynthesis sustains food webs, and the byproduct oxygen keeps our planet habitable. However, the concept of marine cyanobacteria being purely photoautotrophic has recently been questioned. Previous research has shown that many cyanobacteria utilize organic compounds1,2, and possess genes that enable the heterotrophic assimilation of organic carbon3. Organisms that combine both modes, photosynthetic carbon fixation and heterotrophic assimilation of organic carbon, are referred to as mixotrophs — a metabolic strategy thought to be crucial in sustaining oligotrophic marine ecosystems4. The assimilation of organic molecules could provide a way to obtain essential resources in low-nutrient environments, confer an advantage against competitors or serve as a way to save energy that would otherwise be used to synthesize these compounds with standard metabolic pathways2.

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Fig. 1: In the ocean, the abundant cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus relies on mixotrophy to survive.

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  1. Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

    María del Carmen Muñoz-Marín

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  1. María del Carmen Muñoz-Marín
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Correspondence to María del Carmen Muñoz-Marín.

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Muñoz-Marín, M.d.C. Mixotrophy in depth. Nat Microbiol 7, 1949–1950 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01251-4

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