Li, Q.; Dong, K.; Wang, Y.; Edwards, K. F.

Mixotrophic eukaryotes are important bacterivores in oligotrophic open oceans, but their significance as grazers in more nutrient-rich waters is less clear. Here we investigated the bacterivory partition between mixotrophs and heterotrophs in a productive, estuary-influenced coastal region in East China Sea. We found ubiquitous, actively feeding phytoplankton populations and taxa with mixotrophic potential, by identifying ingestion of fluorescent prey surrogate and analyzing community 18S rRNA gene amplicons. Potential and active mixotrophs accounted for 10-63% of total eukaryotic community and 17-69% of bacterivores observed, respectively, contributing 6-48% of estimated in situ bacterivory. The much higher mixotroph fitness outside of the turbid plume were potentially driven by increased light and decreased nutrients availability. Our results suggest that, although heterotrophs dominated overall in situ bacterivory, mixotrophs were abundant and important bacterivores in this low-latitude mesotrophic coastal region.