Mixotrophs and Mixotrophy

Driving the direction of future mixotrophic research

An Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Working Group

Aquatic plankton have traditionally been categorized using a false dichotomy of either heterotrophs (strict phagotrophs) or autotrophs (strict phototrophs). It is now accepted that many species fall on a spectrum between these two trophic strategies, and are called mixotrophs. Scientists’ ability to conduct in situ research on mixotrophs has been hindered by the limitations of current methods for detecting them and their activity. The scientific community is primed to make major advances in mixotrophy research, but first must reach a consensus on how to best apply currently available methods, collaboratively define new paths forward for methodological development, and put forth a proposed list of the most pressing mixotrophy research needs.

With funding from the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office, we are forming a working group that, over the next two years, will bring together researchers to identify a clear set of high-priority mixotrophy research needs and identify methodological gaps in achieving these needs. Our working group will consist of scientists who have studied the in situ mixotrophic community using a range of methods, modelers who are interested in incorporating mixotrophs into their models, and scientists who are interested in participating in future mixotroph research. The primary goals are: 1) to synthesize available data on in situ mixotrophic activity/presence and the methods used in peer-reviewed literature, 2) develop guidelines for the best application of current methods, and 3) identify potential new methods for advancing in situ studies.