Phagotrophy in the nitrogen-fixing haptophyte Braarudosphaera bigelowii

Biological nitrogen fixation provides fixed nitrogen for microbes living in the oligotrophic open ocean. UCYN-A2, the previously known symbiont of Braarudosphaera bigelowii, now believed to be an early-stage B. bigelowii organelle that exchanges fixed nitrogen for fixed carbon, is globally distributed. Indirect evidence suggested that B. bigelowii might be a mixotrophic (phagotrophic) phototrophic flagellate. The goal of this study was to determine if B. bigelowii can graze on bacteria using several independent approaches. The results showed that B. bigelowii grazed on co-occurring bacteria at a rate of 5–7 cells/h/B. bigelowii and that the overall grazing rate was significantly higher at nighttime than at daytime. Bacterial abundance changes, assessed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis, may have indicated preferential grazing by B. bigelowii on specific bacterial genotypes. In addition, Lysotracker™ staining of B. bigelowii suggested digestive activity inside B. bigelowii. Carbon and nitrogen fixation measurements revealed that the carbon demand of B. bigelowii could not be fulfilled by photosynthesis alone, implying supplementation by heterotrophy. These independent lines of evidence together revealed that B. bigelowii engages in phagotrophy, which, beyond serving as a supplementary source of carbon and energy, may also facilitate the indirect assimilation of inorganic nutrients.