UC Santa Cruz

Marine N2-fixing cyanobacteria, including the unicellular genus Crocosphaera, are considered keystone species in marine food webs. Crocosphaera are globally distributed and provide new sources of nitrogen and carbon, which fuel oligotrophic microbial communities and upper trophic levels. Despite their ecosystem importance, only one pelagic, oligotrophic, phycoerythrin-rich species, Crocosphaera watsonii, has ever been identified and characterized as widespread. Herein, we present a new species, named Crocosphaera waterburyi, enriched from the North Pacific Ocean. C. waterburyi was found to be phenotypically and genotypically distinct from C. watsonii, active in situ, distributed globally, and preferred warmer temperatures in culture and the ocean. Additionally, C. waterburyi was detectable in 150- and 4000-meter sediment export traps, had a relatively larger biovolume than C. watsonii, and appeared to aggregate in the environment and laboratory culture. Therefore, it represents an additional, previously unknown link between atmospheric CO2 and N2 gas and deep ocean carbon and nitrogen export and sequestration.