Microbiome assembly of the diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis

The multitude of interactions between bacterioplankton and phytoplankton have prompted numerous studies that investigate phytoplankton microbiomes with the aim of characterizing beneficial or opportunistic taxa and elucidating core bacterial members. Often times, this knowledge is garnered through 16S rRNA gene profiling over time and across locations. In the laboratory, phytoplankton cultures are typically maintained in synthetic, nutrient rich media while may skew our understanding of the microbiome. In this study, we aimed to identify taxa that are central to structuring and establishing the overall microbiome of the diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis. We introduced a diverse environmental bacterial community to Asterionellopsis glacialis in a continuous culture set-up in nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor media, and profiled the bacterial community over a period of 7 days.