Primary vitamin B12 limitation and widespread stress in Antarctic phytoplankton
- 1Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Abstract
Iron is considered the dominant limiting or colimiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. However, strong competition and limited biosynthesis capabilities for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) within the microbial community creates conditions suitable for cobalamin limitation. Through a nutrient enrichment experiment in the Amundsen Sea, we show that growth in a phytoplankton community comprising diatoms and prasinophytes was limited primarily by cobalamin and secondarily by iron. Protein biomarkers across a broad area of the Southern Ocean further indicate widespread cobalamin stress within diatoms and Phaeocystis. As warming-induced melting of ice-shelves increases iron supplies in the coastal Southern Ocean, shifts from iron to cobalamin limitation favor mixotrophic flagellates with low cobalamin requirements, altering community composition and function.
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BibTeX
@misc{lampe2026primary,
title = {{Primary vitamin B12 limitation and widespread stress in Antarctic phytoplankton}},
author = {R. H. Lampe and D. Rao and R. M. Kell and R. J. Chmiel and N. L. Schanke and S. Y. Kim and L. E. Lees and F. Bolinesi and O. Mangoni and R. Casotti and C. Balestra and H. Zheng and D. M. Moran and A. E. Allen and M. R. McIlvin and G. R. DiTullio and M. A. Saito},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.64898/2026.11.05.764676},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.05.764676v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Primary vitamin B12 limitation and widespread stress in Antarctic phytoplankton
AU - R. H. Lampe
AU - D. Rao
AU - R. M. Kell
AU - R. J. Chmiel
AU - N. L. Schanke
AU - S. Y. Kim
AU - L. E. Lees
AU - F. Bolinesi
AU - O. Mangoni
AU - R. Casotti
AU - C. Balestra
AU - H. Zheng
AU - D. M. Moran
AU - A. E. Allen
AU - M. R. McIlvin
AU - G. R. DiTullio
AU - M. A. Saito
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.11.05.764676
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.05.764676v1
AB - Iron is considered the dominant limiting or colimiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. However, strong competition and limited biosynthesis capabilities for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) within the microbial community creates conditions suitable for cobalamin limitation. Through a nutrient enrichment experiment in the Amundsen Sea, we show that growth in a phytoplankton community comprising diatoms and prasinophytes was limited primarily by cobalamin and secondarily by iron. Protein biomarkers across a broad area of the Southern Ocean further indicate widespread cobalamin stress within diatoms and Phaeocystis. As warming-induced melting of ice-shelves increases iron supplies in the coastal Southern Ocean, shifts from iron to cobalamin limitation favor mixotrophic flagellates with low cobalamin requirements, altering community composition and function.
ER -