Metabolite diversity among representatives of divergent Prochlorococcus ecotypes

Approximately half of the annual carbon fixation on Earth occurs in the surface ocean through the photosynthetic activities of phytoplankton such as the ubiquitous picocyanobacterium . Ecologically distinct subpopulations (or ecotypes) of are central conduits of organic substrates into the ocean microbiome, thus playing important roles in surface ocean production. We measured the chemical profile of three cultured ecotype strains, observing striking differences among them that have implications for the likely chemical impact of subpopulations on their surroundings in the wild. Subpopulations differ in abundance along gradients of temperature, light, and nutrient concentrations, suggesting that these chemical differences could affect carbon cycling in different ocean strata and should be considered in models of physiology and marine carbon dynamics.