[gut equal] - Microsphere counts from gut samples for equal microsphere concentration incubations (Collaborative Proposal: Are all cell surfaces the same? The effects of particle surface property on predator-prey interactions in the microbial loop)

Yet, the role of microbial surface properties in avoiding or enhancing predation in the ocean remains a research frontier. Appendicularians are globally abundant marine suspension feeders that capture marine microorganisms in a complex mucous filtration system.

We used artificial microspheres to test whether the surface properties of prey particles influenced selection by the appendicularian, Oikopleura dioica . Across microsphere sizes (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 µm) and concentrations (~103-106 particles ml-1), which were varied to represent realistic microbial communities, carboxylate- and amine-modified particles were handled differently by the appendicularians. The carboxylate-modified particles were enriched in the gut while the amine-modified particles were enriched in the mucous filters, leading to different particle fates.