Ecological Role of the Heterotrophic Protist Aurantiochytrium (Labyrinthulomycetes) as a Key Consumer of Viral-Induced Dissolved Organic Matter Following the Lysis of the Red Tide-forming Microalga Heterosigma akashiwo
Shuhe Chen, Miho Aoki, Keishiro Sano, Keigo Yamamoto, Yoshitake Takao, Ryoma Kamikawa, Keizo Nagasaki, Takashi Yoshida
This study shows that Aurantiochytrium, a heterotrophic protist, thrives on viral-induced dissolved organic matter from virus-infected Heterosigma akashiwo, highlighting its role in carbon cycling after algal blooms collapse.
Microbiology Spectrum · Oct 30, 2026Peer-reviewedMicrobiology