Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: From lethal to beneficial - contrasting dietary effects of freshwater mixotrophs on zooplankton O_LIThe importance of mixotrophic algae as key bacterivores in microbial food webs is increasingly acknowledged, but their effects on the next trophic level remain poorly understood. Their high stoichiometric food quality is contrasted by anti-grazing strategies.
C_LIO_LIWe tested the quality of freshwater mixotrophs as prey for zooplankton, using four non-colonial chrysophyte species and a cryptophyte as a high quality reference food. We (1) analyzed the stoichiometric and biochemical (fatty acid) composition of the mixotrophs, and (2) quantified their dietary effects on Daphnia longispina survival.
C_LIO_LISurvival of D. longispina significantly depended on the identity of species provided as food, ranging from higher to lower as compared to starvation. This was not reflected in differences in cellular stoichiometry or fatty acid profiles of the mixotrophs. We suggest that toxicity may be the driver for the observed differences.
C_LIO_LIGeneralization of the dietary effects of mixotrophic chrysophytes does not appear straightforward. Besides fundamental species-specific differences, potential toxic effects may vary depending on environmental cues or physiological strategies. Notably in our study, Ochromonas tuberculata, a species previously reported to be deleterious turned out to be a beneficial food source, in terms of enabling high survival of D. longispina.
C_LIO_LIWe challenge the generality of the assumption that chrysophytes are of low value as food for zooplankton. We recommend that future studies test how environmental conditions and physiological strategies shape the quality of mixotrophs as food for consumers at higher trophic levels, specifically focusing on effects of dietary toxicity.
C_LI
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The categories of this paper are: genomics
16
The categories of this paper are: microbiology
10
The categories of this paper are: and
31
The categories of this paper are: paleontology
29
The categories of this paper are: education
28
The categories of this paper are: communication
1
The categories of this paper are: bioinformatics
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The categories of this paper are: biophysics
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The categories of this paper are: toxicology
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The categories of this paper are: physiology
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The categories of this paper are: synthetic
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The categories of this paper are: animal
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The categories of this paper are: molecular
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The categories of this paper are: bioengineering
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The categories of this paper are: cancer
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The categories of this paper are: zoology