Influence of protozoan grazing on magnetotactic bacteria on intracellular and extracellular iron content

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) ubiquitously inhabit the oxic–anoxic interface or anaerobic areas of aquatic environments. MTB biomineralize magnetite or greigite crystals and synthesize an organelle known as magnetosome. This intrinsic ability of MTB allows them to accumulate iron to levels 100–1000 times higher than those in non‐magnetotactic bacteria (non‐MTB). Therefore, MTB considerably contributes to the global iron cycle as primary iron suppliers in the aquatic environmental food chain. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports describing the effects of trophic interactions between MTB and their protist grazers on the iron distributions in MTB grazers and the extracellular milieu. Herein, we evaluated the effects of MTB grazing using a model species of protist (Tetrahymena pyriformis) and a model species of MTB (Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB‐1). MTB‐fed T. pyriformis exhibited a magnetic response and contained magnetite crystals in their vacuoles. Fluorescence imaging using a ferrous ion‐specific fluorescent dye revealed that the cellular ferrous ion content was five times higher in MTB‐fed T. pyriformis than in non‐MTB grazers. Moreover, soluble iron concentrations in the spent media increased with time during MTB predation. This study provides experimental evidence to delineate the importance of trophic interactions of MTB on iron distributions.