The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Viral orchestration and active non-redundancy drive precise diel microbial successions in the coastal ocean
ID:570 Oral Presentation

2027-01-14 15:35 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 24 - High resolution spatial and temporal variation of plankton communities

Abstract
In fluctuating coastal oceans, ecosystem resilience is generally thought to depend on functional redundancy, the assumption that taxonomically distinct microbes perform interchangeable metabolic roles to buffer environmental changes. However, whether this redundancy is realized at the level of active gene expression has remained unclear. Using an autonomous drone array, we performed ultra-high-frequency metatranscriptomic sampling every two hours over 72 hours in Daya Bay, China. By resolving the active transcriptional landscape into six distinct temporal modules, we found that more than 90% of transcribed gene clusters turned over completely within ~2-hour windows. Community composition strongly predicted metabolic function, with the tightest coupling at the genus level (p < 0.0001). Functional continuity was maintained not through interchangeable generalists, but via a precise sequential relay of temporal specialists, each optimized for narrow, transient microniches. Deep-learning analysis of the psbA gene pool further revealed that cyanophages repeatedly introduced distinct protein variants to sustain photosynthesis during peak irradiance. Although genomic redundancy may exist in the potential gene pool, it is largely absent from the actively expressed metabolic landscape, which instead operates as a finely synchronized, clock-like succession of time-bound specialists. This framework provides a more predictive basis for understanding how coastal microbiomes respond to rapid environmental fluctuations.
 
Speaker
Olivier Pereira Wuhan University of Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology

Author
Olivier Pereira Wuhan University of Technology / Marine Microbiome lab, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Geo‐Omics of Archaea, Department of Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027