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Data for: Fungal parasitism on diatoms alters formation and bio–physical properties of sinking aggregates: Particle analyses

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Jan 11, 2023 version files 32.91 GB

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Abstract

Phytoplankton forms the base of aquatic food webs and element cycling in diverse aquatic systems. The fate of phytoplankton-derived organic matter, however, often remains unresolved as it is controlled by complex, interlinked remineralization and sedimentation processes. We here investigate a rarely considered control mechanism on sinking organic matter fluxes: fungal parasites infecting phytoplankton. We demonstrate that bacterial colonization was promoted 3.5-fold on fungal-infected phytoplankton cells in comparison to non-infected cells in a cultured model pathosystem (diatom Synedra, fungal microparasite Zygophlyctis, and co-growing bacteria), and even ≥17-fold in field-sampled populations (Planktothrix, Synedra, and Fragilaria). The SynedraZygophlyctis model system further revealed that fungal infections reduced the formation of aggregates. Moreover, carbon respiration was 2-fold higher and settling velocities 11–48% lower for similar-sized fungal-infected vs non-infected aggregates. Our data imply that parasites can effectively control the fate of phytoplankton-derived organic matter on a single-cell to single-aggregate scale, potentially enhancing remineralization and reducing sedimentation in freshwater and coastal systems.