Single‐Cell Identification of Bacterivorous Mixotrophs in a Freshwater Habitat
- 1School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
- 2Department of Oceanography University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu Hawaii USA
Abstract
The nutritional strategy of phago‐mixotrophy among pigmented eukaryotes has been widely recognized and characterized across various taxonomic lineages. While their ecological role as bacterivores in different aquatic environments is acknowledged, establishing a clear connection between phago‐mixotrophic activities and taxonomy within natural communities remains challenging. In this study, we utilized a combination of microscopy and fluorescence‐activated single‐cell sorting techniques to investigate the diversity and temporal variations of bacteria‐feeding mixotrophs in a freshwater habitat. We identified four groups of mixotrophs using both methods: Pedinellales (Dictyochophyceae), Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae), Dinobryon (Chrysophyceae) and a single‐chloroplast bearing group within Chlorophyta. Together, these groups accounted for 58%–96% and 54%–95% of total mixotrophs detected by microscopy and cell sorting, respectively. Samples collected in different seasons demonstrated that Pedinellales and Chlorophyta were more abundant in spring and summer/autumn, while Dinobryon was only present in winter when temperatures were lowest and light intensity was moderate. Our findings, with 6 classes and 12 genera identified as bacterivorous mixotrophs, highlight the promising potential of single‐cell techniques in aquatic microbiology. This approach reveals the taxonomic identity and feeding activities of phago‐mixotrophs in situ, thereby enhancing our understanding of their functional ecological roles within microbial food webs.
Related
- A single freshwater invasion gave rise to the world's dominant freshwater fish group
- Opposing actions of cis- and trans-ligands at a single GPCR link osmotic state to habitat choice
- Identification of CLOCK and MARK2 as Candidate Blood-Based Biomarkers in Type 2 Diabetes: An Integrated Bulk and Single-Cell Transcriptomic Study
- IG-28 enables identification and quantification of high-confidence isoforms from large bulk and single-cell full-length cDNA datasets
- An experimental study on HRM combined with multiplex PCR for the identification of single and mixed diatom species
BibTeX
@article{wang2026singlecell,
title = {{Single‐Cell Identification of Bacterivorous Mixotrophs in a Freshwater Habitat}},
author = {Ying Wang and Fernanda Henderikx‐Freitas and Qian Li},
journal = {Environmental Microbiology Reports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/1758-2229.70456},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70456},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Single‐Cell Identification of Bacterivorous Mixotrophs in a Freshwater Habitat
AU - Ying Wang
AU - Fernanda Henderikx‐Freitas
AU - Qian Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Environmental Microbiology Reports
DO - 10.1111/1758-2229.70456
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70456
AB - The nutritional strategy of phago‐mixotrophy among pigmented eukaryotes has been widely recognized and characterized across various taxonomic lineages. While their ecological role as bacterivores in different aquatic environments is acknowledged, establishing a clear connection between phago‐mixotrophic activities and taxonomy within natural communities remains challenging. In this study, we utilized a combination of microscopy and fluorescence‐activated single‐cell sorting techniques to investigate the diversity and temporal variations of bacteria‐feeding mixotrophs in a freshwater habitat. We identified four groups of mixotrophs using both methods: Pedinellales (Dictyochophyceae), Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae), Dinobryon (Chrysophyceae) and a single‐chloroplast bearing group within Chlorophyta. Together, these groups accounted for 58%–96% and 54%–95% of total mixotrophs detected by microscopy and cell sorting, respectively. Samples collected in different seasons demonstrated that Pedinellales and Chlorophyta were more abundant in spring and summer/autumn, while Dinobryon was only present in winter when temperatures were lowest and light intensity was moderate. Our findings, with 6 classes and 12 genera identified as bacterivorous mixotrophs, highlight the promising potential of single‐cell techniques in aquatic microbiology. This approach reveals the taxonomic identity and feeding activities of phago‐mixotrophs in situ, thereby enhancing our understanding of their functional ecological roles within microbial food webs.
SN - 1758-2229
ER -