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During the MALINA cruise (summer 2009) an extensive effort was undertaken to isolate phytoplankton strains from the North East (NE) Pacific Ocean, the Bering Strait, and the Beaufort Sea. Strains were isolated by flow cytometry sorting (FCS) and pipetting before or after phytoplankton enrichment of seawater samples. Strains were isolated by both onboard and back in the laboratory and cultured at 4°C under light/dark conditions. Overall, we isolated and characterised by light microscopy and 18S rRNA gene sequencing 104 strains of photosynthetic flagellates which grouped into 21 genotypes (defined by 99.5% 18S rRNA gene sequence similarity) mainly affiliated to Chlorophyta and Heterokontophyta. The taxon most frequently isolated was an Arctic eco- type of the green algal genus Micromonas (Arctic Micromonas) which was almost the only phytoplankter recovered within picoplankton (=2 µm) size range. Strains of Arctic Micromonas as well as three unidentified strains related to the same genus were identified in further details by sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA operon. The MALINA Micromonas strains share identical 18S rRNA and ITS sequences suggesting high genetic homogeneity within Arctic Micromonas. The unidentified strains form a genotype likely belonging to a new genus within the family Mamiellaceae to which Micromonas belongs. Other green algae genotypes from the genera Nephroselmis, Chlamydomonas, Pyramimonas were also isolated whereas Heterokontophyta included Pelagophyceae, Dictyochophyceae and Chrysophyceae. Dictyochophyceae included Pedinellales which could not be identified to the genus level whereas Chrysophyceae comprised Dinobryon faculiferum. Moreover, we isolated Rhodomonas sp. as well as a few Haptophyta and dinoflagellates. We identi?ed the dinoflagellate Woloszynskia cincta by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and 28S rRNA gene sequencing. Our morphological analyses show that this species possess the diagnostic features of the genus Biecheleria, and the 28S rRNA gene topology corroborates this affiliation. We thus propose the transfer of W. cincta to the genus Biecheleria and its recombination as Biecheleria cincta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequences affiliated to Syndiniales (Marine alveolate, MALV) regularly dominate 18S rDNA genetic libraries of nearly all marine ecosystems investigated so far. Among them, Amoebophryidae (MALV group II) is composed of numerous and genetically dis-tant environmental sequences, where Amoebophrya is the only known and formally described genus. Amoebophrya species include virulent pathogens for a wide range of dinoflagellate species. Beside their regular occurrence in marine ecosystems, their quantitative distribution and the environmental factors triggering host infection have barely been studied in open oligotrophic waters. In order to understand the functional role of these parasites in natural environments, we studied the distribution and contribution to the eukaryotic community of the small free-living stage of Amoebophryidae (the dinospores) along a transect in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their host diversity at three oligotrophic stations. Dinospores were more abundant at a coastal station (max. 1.5×103 cells ml-1) than in oligotrophic waters (max. 51±16.3 cells ml-1), where they represented 10.3 to 34.9% of the total eukaryotic community at 40 and 30m depth, respectively and 21.2% on average along the water column. Positive correlation was found between dinospore occurrence and higher concentration of NO3 +NO2 at the coastal station. At selected stations, out of 38 different dinoflagellates taxa identified, were infected, among which a majority were not recognized as Amoebophryidae host so far. Prevalences (percentage of infected cells) generally varied between 2% and 10%, with a notable exception for Blepharocysta paulsenii for which 25% of cells were infected at the station C. The present study shows that dinospores are able to thrive, infects and most probably exert a control on host populations both in coastal and ultra-oligotrophic open waters. Our results emphasize the role of parasitism in 25 microbial food web dynamics and ultimately on biogeochemical cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]